Harare City Council (HCC) has warned residents to be wary of fraudsters who are allegedly duping people in the registration of vendors to operate from Mupedzanhamo Flea Market.
In a statement seen by Pindula News, the City fathers said all vendors must approach council offices adding that Mupedzanhamo will be opening soon.
Harare City’s Chairman of the SMEs committee, Councillor Denford Ngadziore said several concerned residents contacted him complaining about vendors being asked to pay up to USD30 to register to be on the vendors’ list and to be allocated stalls at Mupedzanhamo. He said:
Please be advised that as council we are registering vendors, applying to be on the list for just USD10 and this is being done at our district offices in Mbare, ostensibly to expedite vendors allocation.
The exercise is being done to enable us as council to know the number of vendors. But the SMEDCO exercise for the same, is being done by government and is holistic is capturing more data from vendors.
So people should be very clear on that. As council, we are not involved in the scheme to register vendors at the cost we are hearing.
All vendors must get in touch with us at our offices. We will be opening the Mupedzanhamo market at a date to be announced. The works at the market were pegged back after heavy rains accompanied with strong winds forced the collapse of some sections of the durawall.
The SMEs committee resolved to reopen Mupadzanhamo Flea Market after meeting with the vendors’ community.
Ngadziore said when the allocation of stalls to vendors is done, it will be open to vendors mostly in Mbare wards where the facility is located but would accommodate all vendors as the position of the market is central in location.