Informal Traders in Acturus Call on Rural District Council to Built Market Stalls.
Joseph Andrasi
Vendors Initiative for Social Economic Transformation (VISET) has called on Goromonzi Rural District Council to build Market stalls for informal traders in Arcturus Ward 14 Goromonzi.
The call was made at a community meeting organized by VISET. The meeting was meant to unpack findings from the survey that was carried out within the ward to hear residents’ and informal traders’ development aspirations. Invited guests included officials from Goromonzi Rural District Council(GRDC), representatives from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, the Ministry of Women Affairs, and traditional leadership.
Speaking to this publication Edward Kapodogo from VISET said the survey findings presentation sought to encourage residents in their capacity as rights holders to demand answers from solution holders in their various communities.
Kapodogo went on to explain that a total of 116 people were interviewed, 61 percent were women and 39 percent were males. Of the above number, a total of 69 percent were youths.
18 percent of respondents said they have had their wares confiscated before, with the reason for confiscation being operating from undesignated spaces, and 16 percent saying they had no licenses. 83 percent said they managed to get their confiscated goods back, with 65 percent saying they had to pay bribes to get them back.
Many respondents decried the practice of confiscations, with 67 percent saying this led to the loss of income as their goods will have been damaged.
62 percent of respondents said they had been vaccinated with 38 percent saying they were yet to get the jab.
Biggie Kachavi of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community Development, Small and Medium Enterprise Development said that the survey would greatly assist them to attend to the specific needs of women in the Ward and they will be having a look at it with a mind to come up with specific interventions tailor-made for women.
Tawanda Chiwanza from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture said that development partners should work hand in hand with communities and not impose solutions upon communities in order to get meaningful impact.
He went on to speak on the need for informal traders to be organised so that they speak with one voice in lobbying for development initiatives.
He also disclosed that the Ministry of Mines and the Ministry of Lands have quotas set aside for the youth and women as a means to empower these two groups in society.
Some of the residents who spoke to CORAH said the issue of poor roads and health facilities that were previously run and maintained by Arcturus had changed ownership, and there has been a deterioration of services. The residents sought assistance from VISET and the representative of the government who were present to pursue the issue.
The village head Archibald Mutumburi applauded VISET for its presence within the community saying many agencies have forgotten their area and that they were hopeful that their concerns will be attended to.
