By Maxwell Mapungwana
A ZANU-PF affiliate, Patriotic Vendors for Economic Development (PVED) has appeqled for support through more market infrastructure and stands for vendors.
The group says informal traders should be allocated light industrial stands in order for then to transition into the formal sector.
Speaking at a Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) stakeholders meeting in Marondera recently, PVED representative Able Machingura said inadequate trading space was constraining the growth of small businesses.
He said many are still operating from makeshift sites despite their contribution to the economy.
Machingura said PVED had more than 5 000 members across the province who needed organised trading facilities and opportunities to expand beyond informal retail.
“We are not just vendors, we are economic soldiers.
“In Marondera, we occupy every market.
“We are the ones who move bond notes, US dollars and ZiG from hand to hand daily,” he said.
Councils urged to expand market infrastructure
However, Machingura commended Marondera Municipality for providing modern trading facilities.
He cited the recently commissioned market accommodating 180 vendors as an example of efforts to improve working conditions for informal traders.
The market was commissioned by Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Mashonaland East, Advocate Itayi Ndudzo.
However, he said the facility’s capacity remained inadequate relative to the number of traders.
He proposed partnerships between local authorities, vendors’ associations and financial institutions to develop additional markets under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model.
Under the proposed arrangement, councils would provide land.
Meanwhile, vendors and their partners will mobilise capital to construct market facilities.
Machingura identified Murehwa, Mutoko, Goromonzi, Wedza, Chikomba, Mudzi and Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe among the districts where additional trading infrastructure was needed.
He also proposed reserving 30 percent of bays in newly developed markets for registered vendors’ associations.
He argued that the measure would promote transparency and guard against the double allocation of trading spaces.
Vendors eye manufacturing opportunities
Beyond retail infrastructure, Machingura urged councils to allocate 200-square-metre light industrial stands to vendors seeking to venture into manufacturing and processing.
He said access to industrial space would enable small-scale entrepreneurs to diversify their businesses.
“Vendors want to graduate from selling tomatoes to processing them,” he said.
The proposal reflects PVED’s call for informal traders to be treated not merely as participants in the retail economy, but as potential producers.
“We are ready to pay rates, if rates are fair. We are ready to formalise, if formalisation has benefits,” he said.
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