Minister issues final warning to Zimbabwe vendors as September 9 street deadline looms
Zimbabwe’s government has given vendors and informal traders operating from unauthorised sites in Harare less than a week to clear the streets, warning that a nationwide clean-up operation will begin on Wednesday, September 9.
The directive, issued by Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe, targets street and night trading in Harare and the wider Harare Metropolitan Province. Traders working from undesignated points have been told to leave voluntarily and move to lawful marketplaces provided by local authorities. Those who remain after the deadline will face a “comprehensive, zero-tolerance clean-up operation” involving government ministries, departments and agencies.
The operation is expected to dismantle illegal stalls, vending structures and other trading sites. Municipal police will be deployed to prevent traders from returning to areas that have been cleared. After Harare, the exercise will move to other cities, towns and urban settlements across Zimbabwe.
The government says the campaign is necessary to restore order, sanitation and traffic flow in the capital. It says the growth of roadside trading has blocked public pathways, created congestion, disrupted formal businesses and weakened compliance with public health and safety rules. Officials have also linked some illegal vending areas to drug and substance abuse.
In his statement, Garwe acknowledged that informal trading provides a livelihood for many Zimbabweans, but said it must take place within municipal by-laws and at approved marketplaces.
“Whilst the government acknowledges the existence of informal trading as a recognised avenue of livelihood, this, however, should be within the bounds of municipal by-laws and at legally designated marketplaces,” Garwe said.
He described the current situation on the streets as disorderly and said it had “become a threat to the health and security of our nation.”
The minister’s warning places the responsibility on local authorities to register compliant traders and arrange their immediate placement in designated structures. The government has urged vendors to use the remaining days to relocate, saying voluntary compliance would help them avoid losing their merchandise when enforcement begins.
The deadline comes as informal trading remains one of the most visible parts of Zimbabwe’s urban economy. In Harare, traders sell vegetables, fruit, clothes, shoes, cooked food, mobile phones, household goods and imported products from pavements, open spaces, bus termini and the edges of busy roads. For many families, daily sales provide money for food, rent, transport, school costs and medical expenses.
Official figures show how difficult it is to separate Zimbabwe’s economy from informality. The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency says 76.1% of the 204,798 establishments identified in its 2023 Economic Census were informal. The agency’s website also lists an unemployment rate of 20.7% for people aged 15 and above, based on the second quarter 2025 Quarterly Labour Force Survey. International labour data puts informal employment at 73.9% of total employment in Zimbabwe in 2024.
A recent study of informal operators in Harare and Masvingo found that only about one in five sampled operators earned enough to rise above the poverty line. Most were using their businesses to survive rather than build substantial profits. Women, who are heavily represented in food and clothing sales, were found to earn less than men and to work in sectors with low barriers to entry but low returns.
The ministry has not provided a detailed public schedule showing how many traders will be registered, where they will be moved or whether every designated market has enough space for those currently operating in the streets. It has, however, instructed local authorities to begin immediate registration and orderly placement of traders who comply with the directive.
For traders, the short notice has created an urgent choice between moving goods and structures, waiting for municipal instructions or continuing to trade until enforcement officers arrive. The warning specifically covers night trading, a part of the informal economy that has expanded around busy transport points and areas where people shop after work.
The government’s concerns about blocked paths and public safety are likely to be most visible in central Harare, where pedestrians, buses, private vehicles, formal shops and street traders compete for limited space. Municipal authorities have repeatedly struggled to keep cleared areas free of vendors, with traders often returning because the same locations bring reliable customers. The new deployment of municipal police is intended to stop that cycle after the clean-up.
Research on graduates in Bulawayo has found that some young people treat informal work as a temporary bridge to formal employment, while others regard it as a long-term livelihood. Many combine several forms of “hustling”, including selling goods, running small services and using online businesses to bring in money. A street-trading ban would therefore affect not only older market sellers but also young people who have built their income around small-scale commerce.
The impact could extend beyond traders themselves. A vendor who loses stock, a stall and a daily customer base may struggle to pay suppliers and support relatives. Children’s school expenses may go unpaid, food purchases may be reduced and household debt may grow.
The government has framed the operation as part of the National Development Strategy 2 and the country’s Vision 2030 ambitions. Its stated objective is to create cleaner, safer and more orderly urban centres while bringing informal businesses into recognised marketplaces.