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Source: Turn anti-drug rhetoric into action – Min Nguluvhe urges Mat South – herald

Babongile Gora, Sunday News Reporter

MATABELELAND South Province has been challenged to move beyond meetings and financial pledges and channel its energies towards combating drug and substance abuse amid growing concern over drug trafficking and use in the province.

The Minister of State for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Albert Nguluvhe, said the province required concrete interventions, including the completion of a rehabilitation centre in Gwanda, stronger community-based prevention programmes and increased support for those affected by substance abuse.

Speaking at a provincial drug and substance abuse stakeholder meeting in Gwanda recently, Minister Nguluvhe said tackling the scourge required a coordinated response involving Government, the private sector, churches, development partners, traditional leaders, law enforcement agencies and communities.

The meeting brought together officials from Government ministries, departments and agencies, the private sector, churches, academic institutions and the police to assess progress under the pillars of supply reduction, demand reduction, harm reduction, community reintegration, media and communication, and resource mobilisation.

It was also held ahead of a forthcoming visit to the province by the National Drug and Substance Abuse Task Force.

Minister Nguluvhe expressed concern over the wide gap between stakeholder commitments and actual financial contributions towards provincial interventions.

“Against a target of US$250 000 set in the previous year, only US$5 000 was deposited into the provincial drug and substance abuse account. I want to urge all our partners to translate commitments into tangible support,” he said.

Minister Nguluvhe identified the completion of the Gwanda Rehabilitation Centre as one of the province’s most pressing priorities.

The facility, being developed at the former Phakama TB Clinic, requires more than US$145 800 to complete renovations and procure equipment needed to provide treatment and rehabilitation services.

The absence of a functional provincial rehabilitation centre means some people requiring specialised treatment have to be referred outside the province, placing an additional burden on affected families and the health sector.

“We must move beyond meetings, plans and pledges towards concrete interventions that protect our young people, rehabilitate those affected and build drug-free, healthy and resilient communities across Matabeleland South,” said Minister Nguluvhe.

He called on Government institutions, the private sector, development partners and other stakeholders to contribute towards the completion of the facility so that people battling substance abuse can access treatment closer to home.

The minister said drug and substance abuse continued to pose a serious threat to young people, families and communities, making early intervention at community level critical.
Minister Nguluvhe said the province could not afford to wait for the problem to worsen before taking decisive action.

The challenge now, he said, was to transform stakeholder commitments into resources, programmes and services capable of delivering measurable results in communities.

Minister Nguluvhe also urged members of the public to provide information on drug peddling, particularly in areas where trafficking networks were beginning to emerge.

“Where there is rampant drug peddling, there is bound to be an increase in violent turf wars, hence the need to arrest the situation in Beitbridge before it goes out of hand,” he said.

Beitbridge has emerged as a key area of concern due to its proximity to South Africa and the presence of illegal crossing points that can be exploited by drug traffickers.

Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, who chairs the national committee on drug and substance abuse, recently called for stronger grassroots structures in border communities to curb trafficking and identify people in need of assistance.

She said Beitbridge should establish active village and ward anti-drug and substance abuse committees chaired by village heads, headmen or chiefs.

The committees would bring together traditional leaders, law enforcement agencies and experts in supply and demand reduction, treatment and rehabilitation, community reintegration, legal and policy matters, media and communication, and resource mobilisation.

“We need to hear cases of drug and substance abuse being tried at our traditional courts. The national and grassroots committees will continue naming and shaming drug lords, peddlers and abusers,” said Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri.

The call comes as Government intensifies its national response to drug and substance abuse through a multi-sectoral approach that combines prevention, enforcement, treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration.

Among the substances commonly abused in communities are crystal methamphetamine, droshky, chimusoja, cocaine, glue, Broncleer and embalming powder.

Health experts have warned that prolonged substance abuse can have devastating consequences, including addiction, behavioural disorders and mental health complications.

Government has identified 61 facilities nationwide for conversion into stand-alone treatment and rehabilitation centres as part of efforts to expand access to services.

Matabeleland South has earmarked three facilities for repurposing: Plumtree Clinic, Gwanda TB Clinic and Phakama.

Nationally, three facilities have already been operationalised at Chipadze in Bindura, Amaveni in Kwekwe and Chinotimba in Victoria Falls.

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Source: Beitbridge One-Stop Border Post: The gateway to Africa’s US$3,4 trillion dream – herald

Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
THE long queues of trucks snaking for kilometres at Beitbridge, the thump of passports on counters and the double clearance that has defined Africa’s busiest inland border for decades are finally counting down their last days.

A quiet revolution is underway at the Beitbridge Port of Entry (PoE). Driven by political will from Harare and Pretoria, technical work on the ground and growing interest from across the continent, the One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) concept is moving a gear up — and with it, Zimbabwe and South Africa’s ambition to make Beitbridge the engine room for regional and continental trade.

The full implementation of the OSBP at Beitbridge fits well into the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is a massive economic agreement designed to connect 55 African countries into a single market of 1,4 billion people with a combined Gross Domestic Product of US$3,4 trillion.

In addition, the move aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, a 50-year strategic master plan and blueprint that aims to transform Africa into a peaceful, integrated, and prosperous global powerhouse driven by its own citizens.

For years, travellers and truckers at Beitbridge have had to stop twice: once to exit Zimbabwe and again to enter South Africa.

The same documents were checked twice. The same cargo was scanned twice. The same delays, costs, and frustrations.

However, that model is about to change soon under the envisaged One-Stop-Border-Post concept.

Under the OSBP concept, authorities from both countries will co-locate in a single Control Zone. A traveller or truck will stop once and be processed for entry and exit by both states at the same time.

South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) Commissioner, Dr Michael Masiapato, said recently that negotiations were underway with successful bidders for a public-private partnership, and during the current year, 2026, they are going to start seeing that work gaining traction.

He was speaking during a tour of the Beitbridge Border Post by a United Nations delegation that visited the border to observe the protocols authorities are implementing in receiving refugees and asylum seekers arriving by road into South Africa.

“The implementation of the one-stop border post is one of the key strategic interventions and decisions of the Government of South Africa,” said Dr Masiapato.

“Currently, negotiations are underway with successful bidders for a public-private partnership and during the current year, 2026, we are going to start seeing that work gaining traction. We expect construction to start in the final quarter of 2026.

“You will realise that the success of the one-stop border will depend on infrastructure and on the Zimbabwean side they already have the infrastructure. It is us that they are waiting for so we can implement the OSPB.”

He said under the initiative, border authorities from the two countries will have a Control Zone and co-locate to create one service point for travellers entering or leaving either country.

“We are going to have a Control Zone where we will co-locate with our Zimbabwean counterparts for entry on our side and exit on their side,” said Dr Masiapato.

“This means travellers will no longer have to stop on both sides; they will only stop once and be processed for passage by both countries from one service point.”

At the moment, travellers are stopping at both sides of the border to duplicate the clearance processes, which at times often slows down the flow of traffic.

Already, Zimbabwe, through the Second Republic, completed a US$300 million modernisation of Beitbridge Border Post in 2023 under a PPP with Zimborders Consortium.

The project delivered 24-hour operations, scanners, CCTV, integrated ICT systems, and a single building housing more than 10 government agencies. Cargo clearance times dropped from days to hours.

Now, South Africa is catching up. Its National Assembly has passed the OSBP Bill, which is now before the National Council of Provinces. Once signed into law, it will give legal effect to the shared border model.

Head of the Border Efficiency and Management Systems technical team under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Mrs Constance Chizhanje, told delegates during a recent meeting in Beitbridge that Zimbabwe has already started drafting the legal frameworks and procedures manual for OSBP rollout with both South Africa and Zambia.

“So far, we have had two meetings with our Zambian counterparts with a view to opening a second One-StopBorder Post at Victoria Falls, following the success of the initiative at Chirundu which was launched in 2009,” she said.

“On Beitbridge, engagements are advanced. We have hosted a team from South Africa’s Home Affairs department. We took them through the Chirundu border post, and they appreciated the need to speed up the processes and to facilitate trade facilitation in the North-South corridor.”

Initially they were treating the concept from a security perspective, but after our engagements, we all agreed this is an initiative to boost trade and free movement of people within the region.”

She added that key issues still being harmonised include extraterritorial arrangements and the alignment of immigration, customs and security systems.

A 2015 JICA survey showed freight delays at Beitbridge were driving up costs for companies — a problem OSBP is designed to solve.

The political momentum was sealed in 2023 when President Mnangagwa and his South African counterpart President Cyril Ramaphosa met at the border and agreed in principle to implement OSBP. Both leaders have since jointly toured both sides.

Talks are now underway for the next big leap: a third commercial bridge dedicated to cargo and people, to decongest the existing New Limpopo Bridge.

South Africa is also realigning tolling under the proposal gazetted in August 2025; Zimbabwe will collect tolls for northbound traffic, while South Africa will toll southbound traffic. Revenue will fund the new bridge and processing facility to support the Smart Border initiative.

With the Port of Entry processing a total of 15 000 travellers daily, rising to 30 000 during peak periods and 14 000 to 15 000 trucks a month, the need is urgent.

The impact of Zimbabwe’s US$300 million upgrade is now being felt beyond SADC and is going beyond continental as witnessed by the visit of the team from West Africa led by the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, which toured Beitbridge with officials from Cameroon and Benin on a benchmarking mission supported by Afreximbank.

“We are part of the international customs family, the World Customs Organisation family with more than 180 member administrations. It is necessary to undertake these benchmarking missions to learn best practices from each other,” said Mr Adeniyi.

“The visit to Beitbridge is to see how Zimra is conducting a modern border operation. To present a good experience of a border post, the infrastructure is excellent. It is a border post that is transparent, efficient and able to improve cross-border services.”

“First, a modern border post requires state-of-the-art infrastructure and we have seen it here. As representatives from three delegations, we can say this can rival any border in Europe. It is world-class.”

Mr Adeniyi said the key lesson was matching processes with infrastructure, adding that the delegation had noted the state of affairs at Chirundu, where infrastructure alone is not enough.

“We have to match processes with infrastructure to deliver services better. We can replicate this in West and Central Africa,” he said.

“The border between South Africa and Zimbabwe should harmonise systems. The systems must speak to each other for easy trade. For example, an export document from Zimbabwe can be used as an import document in South Africa. The processes are built on trust and there is a need for deployment of ICT.”

He also commended Zimbabwe’s use of electronic cargo tracking to curb transit fraud.

“When you see a border working like this, you know Africa can trade with itself efficiently. We are taking these lessons home,” said Mr Adeniyi.

Acting Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) Commissioner for Customs, Mrs Lonto Ndlovu, said the visit was a vote of confidence in the way of doing business by the country.

“As customs administrations that belong to the World Customs Organisation, we are encouraged to identify those administrations that have modernised. Zimra has been identified by the West African countries for this benchmarking programme. They shared that we need to make use of AI, which they are already using, to improve services at our borders,” said Mrs Ndlovu.

Zimborders Consortium General Manager Mr Nqobile Ncube said the visit confirmed Beitbridge as a continental reference point.

“We have had so many delegations benchmarking on developments the project has brought. We believe we have good examples to replicate this model around Zimbabwe,” he said.

“We have noted one insight from West Africa on how they are streamlining operations and clearing at least 1 400 trucks daily with only five border agencies. We need to learn how they are doing it with less than 10 percent of the agencies we currently have on the ground.”

Afreximbank’s Dr Gainmore Zanamwe linked the developments directly to Agenda 2063 and said that the bank has been working to support intra-Africa trade and the AfCFTA agreement.

“We may not increase trade unless we look at borders which are congested due to lack of infrastructure and poor processes,” he said.

“The One-Stop Border Post concept here is now due and we are seeing the government working to upgrade other borders, including at Chirundu where a one-stop border post is already in existence with Zambia. The ideas can be replicated and we need to position Zimbabwe as a logistics hub.”

Africa’s dream of a single market under the African Continental Free Trade Area will not be realised by signatures alone. It will be realised at borders like Beitbridge.

The OSBP model cuts time, cost and corruption and it is envisaged to boost intra-Africa trade, which currently sits at just 15 percent of the continent’s total trade.

In addition, for landlocked countries like Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and DRC that depend on the North-South Corridor, a seamless Beitbridge means cheaper goods, faster supply chains and more competitive exports.

For South Africa, it means protecting its position as the continent’s most industrialised economy while opening faster access to markets north and for Zimbabwe, it cements its ambition to be a regional logistics hub.

From the truck driver in Musina to the trader in Lagos, from the policymaker in Addis Ababa to the customs officer in Douala, all eyes are on Beitbridge.

What started as a US$300 million upgrade has become something bigger: a practical demonstration that Agenda 2063 is not just a document, but concrete, steel, scanners and a single stamp at a single window.

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Source: Zimbabwe’s mono-currency transition hits 50,1pc milestone … shift is condition-driven not administrative – herald

Tapiwanashe Mangwiro Zimpapers Business Hub

ZIMBABWE has reached a 50,1 percent weighted progress score on the conditions required to transition from the multicurrency to a mono-currency regime, with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe stressing that the shift remains conditions-based rather than tied to a fixed date.

The current percentage mark is according to the central bank’s assessment across the eight Conditions Precedent (CPs) for migration to a mono-currency, including low inflation, exchange rate stability, foreign exchange market functioning, financial sector stability and the wider use of the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG).

The central bank cautioned that the 50,1 percent score should not be interpreted as an imminent switch to a single currency.

Presenting the 2026 Mid-Term Monetary Policy Statement on Thursday, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor Dr John Mushayavanhu said the barometer was designed to provide an objective indication of progress rather than announce a transition date.

“Importantly, the barometer seeks to provide an objective and indicative measure of the status of achievement of the CPs and does not signal immediate transition to mono-currency, which remains a market-driven process,” Dr Mushayavanhu said.

Zimbabwe remains under a multicurrency arrangement in which foreign currency co-circulates with the domestic unit, ZiG, with the eventual transition to domestic mono-currency expected only after the requisite conditions have been fully achieved and sustainably maintained.

One of the key conditions, durable macroeconomic stability, has recorded significant progress, with annual ZiG inflation averaging 4,2 percent during the first seven months of 2026.

The central bank expects inflation to remain at low single-digit levels over the medium to long term.

The country remains below the targeted foreign currency reserve threshold required for the transition, but has seen progress growth in the holdings over the last couple of years amid bullish external sector performance, driven by strong commodity prices.

Reserves stood at US$1,7 billion at the end of July, equivalent to 1,7 months of import cover, against a medium- to long-term requirement of at least three months and a target of up to six months.

The Reserve Bank said it is targeting between 1,8 and two months of import cover by the end of this year.

Addressing concerns on the transition happening overnight during Nedbank Zimbabwe’s head office ground-breaking ceremony on Thursday, RBZ Deputy Governor Dr Innocent Matshe said the conditions precedent should not be viewed as a countdown to a predetermined shift.

“This transition is going to be market-driven and it is not something that we expect to happen overnight. I know every time you talk about mono-currency, people start thinking that we are saying that it should happen and it will happen overnight. It’s not going to happen overnight.”

Economist Ms Gladys Shumbambiri-Mutsopotsi said the progress demonstrated that the transition was becoming increasingly anchored in measurable economic fundamentals rather than administrative decisions.

“The 50,1 percent score is important because it shows that Zimbabwe is moving towards mono-currency through a set of measurable conditions. The key issue now is sustaining these gains, particularly inflation and exchange rate stability, while building adequate reserves,” she said.

Exchange rate stability has also improved considerably. The ZiG has remained within a relatively narrow range of between ZiG25 and ZiG27 to the US dollar, while the parallel market premium averaged about 15 percent during the first seven months of the year.

The Reserve Bank said the stability has been supported by increased foreign currency inflows, reserve accumulation and interventions in the foreign-exchange market to ensure that bona-fide foreign obligations are settled.

On the critical issue of foreign currency transactions after the transition, the deputy Governor said, “No one and nobody will be forced to exchange their foreign currency into the domestic currency. What will happen is that domestic transactions will not be possible in foreign currency.”

Zimbabwe has also made significant progress on the third item on the conditions precedent, an efficient foreign-exchange management system. The central bank has completed development of an automated foreign currency trading platform, which is expected to be launched in the fourth quarter of this year.

The system is intended to facilitate real-time transactions, improve price discovery and allocative efficiency, promote interbank trading and reduce market segmentation.

Banker Mr Raymond Madziva said a functioning foreign-exchange market would be critical to the credibility of any future mono-currency arrangement.

“A successful mono-currency transition requires confidence that businesses will be able to access foreign currency when they have legitimate external obligations. The planned electronic trading platform should strengthen transparency and price discovery, which are essential for restoring confidence in the market,” he said.

The central bank has also identified increased demand for the ZiG as another important condition.

Authorities want ZiG-based transactions to rise from the current level of about 40 percent to 60 percent in the medium term, while the proportion of taxes paid in ZiG is expected to rise above 60 percent, with a longer-term ambition of reaching 100 percent.

The eighth condition, fiscal and monetary policy cohesion, has likewise been achieved, with the Reserve Bank reporting that the Government has had no recourse to inflationary central bank financing.

Dr Mushayavanhu said the central bank would continue to focus on maintaining the gains already achieved.

The Reserve Bank’s assessment comes against a broader backdrop of improving macroeconomic stability, with ZiG annual inflation falling to 3,2 percent in July and foreign currency inflows reaching US$10,72 billion in the first half of the year.

However, the central bank warned that the transition remains exposed to domestic and external risks, including Middle East conflict spillovers, commodity price volatility and anticipated adverse weather conditions.

Dr Mushayavanhu said the central bank would therefore “stay the course” with its prudent monetary policy stance to entrench stability.

The Governor’s position underscores the central message of the latest assessment that the country has made measurable progress towards monocurrency, but the destination will ultimately depend on whether the gains in price stability, reserves, exchange rate credibility, financial sector soundness and confidence in the ZiG can be sustained over time.

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Source: Fear grips Gwayi villagers as stray lion kills livestock – herald

Rumbidzai Mbewe Correspondent

VILLAGERS in the Gwayi area, Matabeleland North Province, are living in fear after reports that a stray lion has been attacking livestock, killing up to seven goats, heightening concerns over escalating human-wildlife conflict in the area.

Although Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife (ZimParks) Public Relations Manager Mr Luckmore Safuli could not immediately confirm the reports, residents say they wake up almost every morning to find their animals mauled, with many families suffering significant financial losses as goats — an important source of household income — continue to fall prey to the predator.

Mr Safuli told Sunday News in an interview that they have not yet received a report of such an incident, adding that it could have been reported to the rural district council.

“We have no report of that nature. This could be because a report was made to the rural district council, which is also mandated to deal with such cases in their respective areas.”

He said that in such cases, the local authority is expected to respond swiftly to prevent escalation of danger and damage within the community, but sometimes delays may be encountered due to a lack of resources.

“The way we respond to reported cases depends on where the incident occurred, but our policy is to respond as quickly as we can to prevent disaster. However, we cannot ignore the issue of resources, which may not always be available,” he said.

The Zimbabwe Christian Alliance hub in Gwayi and the Hwange area, however, called for urgent intervention by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), warning that the situation could worsen if the lion is not captured.

Mr Aron Magaisa of Gwayi Compound said villagers are living in constant fear as they have no means of protecting their livestock from the predator.

“Every day, we witness people losing their goats to this lion. There is nothing we can do to stop it. Only ZimParks can help us by capturing the lion,” he said.

Villagers expressed concern over the delay in capturing the lion, emphasising that many households depend on livestock for their livelihoods.

Mrs Shelter Vengesayi said goats are a vital source of income that helps families meet basic needs, including paying school fees.

“By the time they decide to respond to this crisis, most people will be left with nothing. These goats are a source of income for some of us and help us pay our children’s school fees. This crisis must be treated as a matter of urgency because we are in a serious situation,” she said.

Residents also fear that the lion could attack people.

“Our fear is that it will end up attacking humans. We are even afraid to go out at night because you might come across the lion,” said Mrs Vengesayi.

The concerns come amid increasing reports of human-wildlife conflict in parts of Matabeleland North. Community member Mr Malven Daka said the area has also experienced incidents involving elephants and baboons, which continue to threaten lives and livelihoods.

He explained that habitat encroachment and the fight for space have disrupted traditional wildlife corridors, forcing wild animals to move closer to human settlements.

“Animal corridors have been closed due to human activities. Animals are now seeking refuge in residential areas. Last month, a lion was seen in a residential area and several people have died this year after being trampled by elephants,” he said.

Mr Daka added that residents in Mpumalanga and Baobab areas are also battling aggressive baboons that raid homes and destroy crops.

“Baboons have become very aggressive. They snatch groceries from people and if you leave your windows open, you may return to find your house in chaos and your food eaten. Many people now have to guard their fields during the day to protect their crops,” he said.

The latest incidents have renewed calls for stronger measures to reduce human-wildlife conflict in communities bordering wildlife habitats.

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Source: Push cart operators bring fresh chaos – herald

Raymond Jaravaza Sunday News Reporter

THERE is fresh chaos in Bulawayo’s central business district (CBD) after the banned push cart operators have resurfaced using wheelbarrows and supermarket trolleys to avoid arrest and confiscation of their equipment by the authorities.

In November 2023, the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) banned the use of push carts within the city centre under the BCC (clamping and tow away) by-laws 2023 which was approved by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.

The by-law is contained in Statutory Instrument (SI) 220 of 2023 which repeals SI 63 of 2015 in line with the Urban Councils Act Chapter 29:15.

“Pushcarts shall not be allowed in the part of the central business area bounded by Nelson Kutshwekhaya (NK) Ndlovu Avenue, Lobengula Street, Joseph Msika Avenue and R Mugabe Way, any violation will attract a level 1 fine plus impounding costs,” reads Section 7(5) of the by-law.

When the by law was introduced, it set the local authority on a collision course with push cart operators who eke out a living by transporting goods for vendors and other residents across the city for a small fee.

Municipal police have in the past been involved in cat and mouse games with the push cart operators who continued to defy the council order. However, a new trend has emerged where the operators, both young and the elderly, now use wheel barrows and supermarket trolleys to ferry goods for vendors and residents in the restricted areas of the Bulawayo city centre.

On Friday, a Sunday News crew spoke to a few operators who said switching to wheel barrows and supermarket trolleys was a tacit to survival without facing arrest and confiscation of their means of subsistence — the push carts.

One operator, who identified himself only as Chris said he lost a pushcart to municipal police together with a customer’s groceries and decided to shift to a wheelbarrow as a strategy.

The downside of using a wheelbarrow, however, is that it carries fewer loads compared to a push cart and is laborious when transporting goods from one end of the CBD to another.

“Push carts were designed to carry more goods and are easy to push around the city centre because of their big tyres compared to a wheelbarrow that can carry a handful of goods at a time.

“I started using a wheelbarrow about a year ago and municipal officers cannot arrest me because the new order bans push carts and not wheelbarrows,” said Chris.

He said some of his colleagues have turned to using supermarket trolleys but he avoids using them as doing so can get one in trouble with the rightful owners of the property.

“If for example you use a trolley that belongs to OK Supermarket and it has a sign bearing that name, you must avoid passing next to that shop because the security guards will confiscate it even when you are carrying a customer’s goods,” he said.

Another operator Mr Mlindisi Moyo said push carts have been his source of income for years but using them in the CBD had become untenable.

“Some customers now refuse to have their goods ferried using a push cart because they see how we are chased around by municipal police. I have a family to feed so I started using a wheelbarrow because although it is smaller, it does not get me in trouble with the municipal police,” said Mr Moyo.

The alternatives are less efficient and increase the time it takes to deliver goods, especially for vendors but Mr Moyo says staying at home is not an option.

“I could carry two bales of used clothes for vendors in one trip using a pushcart and charge US$3 but now I have to make multiple trips with a wheelbarrow.
n Full story on www.sundaynews.co.zw

“It means I have to work more for the same amount but it is far better than staying at home,” he said.

Under the new by-laws, anyone found violating the regulations risks having the push cart impounded and may be liable to paying a fine.

Bulawayo United Residents Association (BURA) chairman Mr Winos Dube said the by law that forbids push carts from sections of the city centre is meant to bring sanity in the central business district and was long overdue.

“We cannot afford to be a lawless city where residents do as they please so the new by-law came at a time when push cart operators were becoming problematic in the city centre. We understand that residents have to make a living but they cannot do so while breaking the law.

“It’s unfortunate that the informal operators have found other means to circumvent the by-law by using wheel barrows and trolleys but council will have to find ways to stop the lawlessness from getting out of hand,” said Mr Dube.

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