Standoff Looms as Harare CBD Vendors Vow to Ignore September 9 Eviction Order

By Valerie Mpundu

HARARE — Despite a strict warning from municipal authorities to vacate street pavements by September 9, informal traders in Harare’s Central Business District (CBD) remain unfazed, setting up stall spaces as usual and vowing to resist relocation.

A tour of the capital on Monday revealed business as usual across major thoroughfares, with traders laying out their regular stock along sidewalks and busy intersections. “Hakasi kekutanga kani. Ingoriwo mhepo yasimuka. Munhu wese ari pakutsvaga mwana wamai [This is not the first time. It is just a passing wind. Everyone is just trying to earn a living,” said one vendor while arranging his merchandise.

Further along, another trader questioned the practical feasibility and timing of the eviction directive, “At whose expense are they doing this? Zvimwe zvinhu tisaomeserana. Vana vedu vanodyei, mhuri dzoita sei? Musade kutinzwa, hatiende isu [Let's not make things hard for each other. What will our children eat, how will families survive? Do not refuse to listen to us—we are not going anywhere.”

Resistance Over Designated Market Sites

The open defiance was echoed across multiple trading hot spots in the city centre, with vendors expressing frustration over relocating to peripheral vending zones. “Kuti kwaitikei? What has happened now? They should also give us our regular clients at these so-called designated spots!” one vendor noted.

Operational hours at council-designated sites were another major point of contention, “Imagine those areas are closed at 18:00, and to us that is when business peaks,” another trader explained. “No client of mine will take an InDrive just to buy avocados at 7:00 PM in some place they don't know. I’m staying right here. Ndopabase pano [This is my base].”

Imminent Deadline and Enforcement Questions

Harare City Council issued the September 9 deadline as part of broader urban renewal efforts to decongest the CBD, restore orderly traffic flow, and relocate informal traders to structured market spaces. However, with business operating as normal across the city, the directive has drawn minimal voluntary compliance.

As the deadline arrives, a major confrontation looms between municipal law enforcement and thousands of informal traders who insist that the high-foot-traffic streets of the CBD remain their only viable source of livelihood.

Harare CBD vendor eviction standoff