Pushing vendors off the streets without addressing Zimbabwe's economic collapse is a recipe for disaster

Zawya

19-03-2025

The Zimbabwean government's recent directive for vendors to vacate the streets of Harare is being presented as an effort to restore order to the capital city.
On the surface, this may appear logical, but in reality, it fails to address the deeper crisis that has driven people onto the streets in the first place.
The informal sector, particularly street vending, has become the last lifeline for millions of Zimbabweans who have been abandoned by a collapsing economy.
Simply removing them does not solve the fundamental issue of why they are there.
It is an exercise in futility—akin to treating symptoms while ignoring the disease.
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The real disease is the state-authored economic disaster that has plagued Zimbabwe for decades, primarily due to rampant corruption, the looting of national resources, economic mismanagement, and misplaced priorities by the ruling elite.
Zimbabwe's economic decline can be traced back to 4 November 1997, a day that has gone down in history as 'Black Friday.'
On this day, the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange crashed spectacularly, wiping out 46 percent of the market's value in just four hours.
This economic catastrophe was triggered when then president Robert Mugabe ordered the release of Z$4.2 billion for unbudgeted payouts to war veterans, amounting to Z$50,000 each.
The local currency, which had been relatively stable, crumbled under the weight of this reckless fiscal decision.
On the same day, the country was plunged into total darkness due to a national electricity blackout.
From that moment on, Zimbabwe's economy struggled to regain its footing.
The Black Friday crash set off a chain reaction.
Foreign currency shortages began to take hold, crippling industries that depended on imports for raw materials and machinery.
This led to other shortages, such as fuel, which became a chronic problem in Zimbabwe.
Prices of basic commodities skyrocketed, as businesses struggled to obtain foreign currency through legal channels and were forced into the parallel market.
Inflation, which had once been manageable, began a relentless march upward.
The situation was worsened by the chaotic and often violent land reform program of the early 2000s.
While the need for land redistribution was undeniable, the manner in which it was carried out—without planning, compensation, or a structured transition—led to economic ruin.
Commercial agriculture, which had been the backbone of Zimbabwe's economy, collapsed almost overnight.
The country, once known as the 'breadbasket of Africa,' was suddenly unable to feed itself.
Large-scale commercial farms, which had employed hundreds of thousands of Zimbabweans, were taken over by individuals who lacked the expertise, resources, or commitment to maintain production levels.
Agricultural output plummeted, leading to widespread food insecurity.
With agriculture in ruins, other industries that depended on it—such as manufacturing and food processing—also began to crumble.
This triggered a wave of company closures and mass layoffs.
Foreign direct investment dried up as businesses feared the unpredictable and hostile policy environment.
The government responded to the crisis with reckless monetary policies, including printing money to cover its deficits.
This fueled hyperinflation, which reached an astonishing 89.7 sextillion percent by November 2008, the second highest in recorded history after Hungary's post-World War II hyperinflation.
The result was an economic landscape marked by total devastation.
Formal employment became a rarity, with an estimated 90 percent of Zimbabweans now unemployed or surviving in the informal sector.
Those fortunate enough to have jobs earn meager salaries that are quickly eroded by inflation.
Many professionals, including teachers, nurses, and government workers, have been reduced to vendors themselves, selling goods on the streets after working hours just to make ends meet.
Millions of Zimbabweans have been forced to leave the country in search of better opportunities, forming one of the largest diasporas in Africa.
Amid this economic collapse, the informal sector, particularly street vending, emerged as the only means of survival for many.
The government, realizing its inability to create formal jobs, at one point celebrated this shift, even labeling it 'the new economy.'
Ministers boasted that Zimbabwe had found an alternative economic model that did not rely on traditional corporate structures.
This was, of course, nothing more than a desperate attempt to spin failure into success.
Over time, as the government failed to regulate the informal sector properly, it expanded rapidly.
Street vending has now become a dominant feature of Zimbabwe's urban landscape.
Vendors sell everything from fruits and vegetables to clothing and electronics, often at prices lower than those found in formal retail shops.
This has created friction between vendors and established businesses, which struggle to compete with informal traders who operate outside the tax system and use favorable black market exchange rates.
Many major supermarkets have been forced to close branches or downsize operations due to declining sales.
This economic strain on formal businesses could be one of the reasons why the government has now decided to remove street vendors.
The presence of thousands of vendors in the central business district has also contributed to congestion and disorder, with pavements and roadsides crowded with makeshift stalls.
In some cases, criminal elements have taken advantage of the chaotic environment, leading to increased pickpocketing and other petty crimes.
However, the government's response—simply pushing vendors off the streets—is not a solution.
It is an attempt to sweep the problem under the carpet, hoping that if people do not see the vendors, they will assume the economic crisis has been resolved.
But poverty and unemployment do not disappear just because they are no longer visible.
These people are not on the streets by choice; they are there out of desperation.
They are victims of a failed system, not criminals.
Forcing vendors out of the streets without offering viable alternatives will only lead to greater suffering and social unrest.
Where are these people supposed to go?
How will they feed their families?
The government has offered no realistic solutions—no job creation initiatives, no retraining programs, no access to affordable business spaces.
Simply issuing a directive for vendors to vacate the streets is a heartless and thoughtless move, devoid of any real economic strategy.
If anything, this approach is a recipe for disaster.
When people are pushed into a corner with no way out, their frustration and anger grow.
Zimbabweans have endured economic hardships for decades, but there comes a breaking point when people say, 'Enough is enough.'
The government may believe that its heavy-handed approach will keep people in check, but history has shown that when economic despair reaches unbearable levels, uprisings become inevitable.
The only way to truly solve this problem is to address the root cause—the collapsing economy.
This requires serious efforts to combat corruption, restore investor confidence, and implement sound economic policies.
It means investing in infrastructure, reviving agriculture, and creating an environment where businesses can thrive.
It demands policies that support industrialization and formal job creation, rather than merely criminalizing survival strategies.
Until these fundamental issues are resolved, Zimbabweans will continue to resort to street vending and other informal means of survival.
No amount of police crackdowns or government directives will change that reality.
Pushing vendors off the streets will not end unemployment, poverty, or economic despair.
It will only deepen the crisis, increasing desperation and resentment.
A responsible government would recognize that economic challenges require economic solutions, not brute force.
It would engage with vendors, understand their struggles, and work towards sustainable policies that uplift, rather than punish, those trying to survive.
But as long as the government remains fixated on optics rather than real change, Zimbabwe will continue to sink deeper into economic ruin.
The streets may be cleared temporarily, but the problems that created the need for vending will remain.
And until those problems are addressed, the cycle of poverty and suffering will persist—pushing the nation ever closer to the tipping point of unrest.
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Tendai Ruben Mbofana