Raymond Jaravaza | 17 June 2025 | Heraldonline
BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) has secured US$200 000 funding from the Government of Switzerland to develop Bhaktas Market, located along Lobengula Street and Second Avenue. The project is aimed at providing a permanent solution to decongest the city centre by relocating hundreds of illegal vendors operating on street corners and pavements.
Once complete, Bhaktas Market will accommodate up to 500 vendors in designated stalls, purpose-built to provide a dignified trading environment complete with ablution facilities and other essential amenities.
The City of Bulawayo has for years grappled with the influx of illegal vendors in areas such as Fifth Avenue, who are often blamed for contributing to urban decay and lawlessness in the central business district (CBD) by indiscriminately displaying their wares, including second-hand clothes, vegetables and groceries, on street corners and pavements.
In a recent notice published in the Government Gazette, the BCC announced that its officials and prospective bidders for the construction of vending sheds at Bhaktas Market held a non-compulsory tender briefing on June 11, 2025, at the municipal offices at City Hall, followed by a site visit.
In the latest council minutes, Bulawayo Mayor Councillor David Coltart said he, together with Town Clerk Mr Christopher Dube, met the Swiss Ambassador, His Excellency Stephane Rey in Bulawayo in April where the US$200 000 pledge was made.
“As a result of this meeting, Switzerland pledged US$200 000 towards the development of Bhaktas Market, and the council is now engaging the Financial Services Department and relevant committees to turn this project into reality,” said Clr Coltart.
He said the development of Bhaktas Market must be expedited to establish a spacious and well-organised vending area that attracts human traffic, ultimately benefitting vendors by providing a conducive environment to sell their wares. Clr Coltart said the new market should be equipped with roofing, smooth flooring to maintain cleanliness, solar power to mitigate load-shedding disruptions as well as access to water and proper toilets.
“The new facility should not only cater for the retail sector, but also incorporate significant manufacturing capabilities similar to those in Makokoba suburb. The second phase of the project will involve constructing additional markets in high-density suburbs such as Nkulumane,” he said.
Clr Coltart said the Planning Department must identify more vending bays to allocate to vendors as council intends to collect rentals from between 12 000 and 15 000 vendors across the city.
In the same meeting, councillors expressed concern that illegal vending was no longer confined to the city centre, but had also spread to the western suburbs.
Ward 3 Councillor Mxolisi Mahlangu said council’s focus should be on remodelling the city’s economy and shifting residents’ mindsets, particularly the notion that grocery shopping must be done in the city centre.
Clr Mahlangu said the city boasts of large retail outlets at shopping malls such as Nkulumane and Entumbane, which are in the western suburbs.
He said vendors, who have now spread to western suburbs should be integrated into the city’s economy.
“Countries such as South Korea have successfully integrated vendors into their economies. The vendors have become the backbone of their respective economies hence our call for the council to remodel our local economy to suit the realities on the ground where a huge percentage of our residents have turned to vending for survival,” said Clr Mahlangu.
He commended the government of Switzerland for pledging US$200 000 to support the development of Bhaktas Market.
Ward 23 Councillor Ntombizodwa Khumalo said residential areas have increasingly become “growth points” adding that waste dumping on the streets has become a pressing concern.
The relocation of illegal vendors to the new Bhaktas Market may face strong resistance as many vendors argue that few people visit the place.
Speaking to Zimpapers yesterday, several vendors expressed concern that Bhaktas Market is not a busy commercial hub, which could limit their business opportunities.
“How many people will walk all the way from the city centre to Bhaktas Market to buy our stuff? Vending is a competitive business where we make money through volumes of whatever one is selling, be it tomatoes or second-hand clothes,” said Mrs Nomalisa Mlilo, a second-hand dealer, who was selling stockings.
Mr Nelson Mutemo, who sells plastic buckets, expressed concerns that the vending bays at Bhaktas Market might be too expensive. He warned that many vendors might prefer to continue the risky “cat and mouse” game with municipal police at illegal vending spots scattered around the city instead.
“Some vendors at Egodini have deserted their vending bays because they’re too expensive and many vendors sell the same products, which creates intense competition. I don’t think many illegal vendors will be willing to give up their lucrative spots on busy street corners and pavements to relocate to Bhaktas Market,” said Mr Nelson Mutemo.