Harare deployed 300 municipal police officers this week to clear street vendors from the central business district, enforcing a seven-day ultimatum for informal traders to vacate sidewalks and public spaces.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has opposed the crackdown, citing an estimated 85% unemployment rate in which informal trading represents the actual functioning economy for most residents.
Vendors say they have nowhere else to sell their goods, with formal market stalls scarce and often unaffordable. City officials argue the clearance is necessary to restore order and sanitation in the capital’s commercial core.
