By William Milasi

Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Owen Ncube has openly criticized Kwekwe City Council for playing cat-and-mouse games with vendors before compelling them to establish suitable vending locations.

Kwekwe Central Business District is currently littered with vendors who have no legal sites to sell from. Minister Ncube recently made the clarion call,

urging the local authority to come up with a lasting solution to the vendor’s issue.

“Vendors are vital for achieving a robust economy by 2030. Yet, my office observes an ongoing clash between vendors and local authorities,” he said.

While supporting revenue collection efforts crucial for service delivery, Ncube stressed the need for inventive revenue generation methods.

“Local authorities must innovate by creating official vending sites, regularizing them for revenue collection, and avoiding clashes with vendors,” he emphasized.

He condemned the exploitation of vendors by corrupt municipal officers.

“The extortion by corrupt officials and exploitative ‘barons’ must cease. The practice by some rogue municipal police and space barons who fleece vendors by demanding and receiving bribes from desperate vendors should come to an end as the full wrath of the law will be applied without fear or favor. The law will act firmly against such actions,” he warned.