Gweru bans push carts, hwindi declares war on city fathers

Shakespeare Muzavazi

In a development that has caused so much commotion in the informal business sector, Gweru City Council has banned with immediate effect the operation of push carts popularly known as “Zvingoro” in the City Centre, zwnews.com exclusively reveal.

This development comes when vendors have sworn to sacrifice blood and bone fighting against the Town Clerk’s ultimatum to dismiss every vendor from the central business district.

In a notice issued out by the City’s Town Clerk Ms Elizabeth Gwatipedza all Zvingoro are not allowed within the City’s CBD including Vehicles selling goods at undesignated areas.

In retaliation to the notice, pushcart operators (Vakomana vezvingoro) have come out guns blazing at the city fathers and the government for the move, as it will render them jobless.

“Everyone is aware that our economy is crumbling and most of the populace is formally unemployed, pushing carts is the only way we can eke a living from this hostile environment, if the city fathers chase us from the CBD it only means  war against us and our poverty stricken families”, said Milton Chari who could not contain his anger.

Chari also explained to this reporter that all his customers are found in the CBD hence moving to the city’s outskirts is tantamount to leaving his business.

“Most of my clients are usually found at the city centre since that were most of the shopping is done, my job is to carry the customers good to different bus terminuses across the city hence if i move to the outskirts i would not find any customers,” he said.  

Another Ngoroman who identified himself as Nathan Chitakunye vehemently attacked the government for its failure to create employment for its citizens.

“It is not of our own making that we go around the City centre pushing carts, we blame the government that for their failure to create employment for us, if our industries were fully functioning, you would not see us pushing carts in the street. If they want us to leave the CBD they should just employ us at the City council,” said Chitakunye.