By Kudzaishe Chimonera
Illegal street vending is undermining efforts to clean up Harare’s central business district, Geo Pomona chairman Delish Nguwaya told the Climate Change Thematic Parliamentary Committee yesterday.
Nguwaya said despite daily cleanup operations by Geo Pomona workers unregulated vending activities continue to reverse progress, calling for stronger enforcement of municipal bylaws.
“We are working together with the Environmental Management Agency because it is our regulator. However, in terms of bylaws, Government needs to take decisive action, especially regarding vendors,” Nguwaya told the committee.
He said vendors return to the streets soon after cleanup crews finish their work, affecting waste management efforts and tarnishing the city’s image.
“We clean the town in the morning, but by evening we see vendors back in the CBD, even roasting maize. Removing them is difficult and, as a result, the work being done by Geo Pomona is not recognised,” said Nguwaya.
He urged authorities to tighten enforcement against illegal vending, saying effective implementation of existing regulations was critical to sustaining cleanliness in the capital.
“Government must ensure that bylaws are implemented and enforced,” he said.
The remarks come amid growing concern over illegal vending in Harare’s CBD, where authorities have struggled to contain the proliferation of informal traders despite repeated cleanup and enforcement operations.
Geo Pomona workers conduct routine cleanups aimed at restoring Harare’s status as the “Sunshine City,” but officials say these efforts are being hampered by rising informal activity and poor compliance with city bylaws.
