Heartbreak in Ruwa as Local Board deploys bulldozers to demolish “illegal” vending stalls

Vendors in Ruwa were left counting heavy losses after the Ruwa Local Board deployed two bulldozers to raze informal vending stalls across non-designated trading areas on Tuesday.

The sweeping blitz has placed the local authority’s enforcement of municipal bylaws in direct conflict with informal traders who insist that vending is their sole means of survival in a struggling economy.

Among those affected was Ziva Zvako, who sustained injuries while frantically trying to salvage timber, corrugated metal sheets, and building materials as heavy machinery moved in.

Zvako claimed officials ignored his pleas to dismantle the stall himself and revealed he could not afford to visit a clinic to have his wounds treated.

“We keep saying that we are in a country with no industries and jobs are difficult to find. When we try to create something for ourselves and earn a few dollars, they come and destroy it,” Zvako said.

“People cannot be stripped of their livelihoods without any alternative. When people are pushed into desperation, some may end up resorting to crime.”

Zvako also alleged selective enforcement by council workers, claiming bribes were being solicited to spare certain stalls.

For another vendor, known as Gogo va B, the demolition broke down her primary lifeline. The trader wept openly as she recounted how the stall funded her rent, household needs, and the care of two children—including an orphaned girl she has raised since she was seven days old following her own child’s death.

With the girl due to start Grade One next year, Gogo va B expressed anguish over how she will afford school fees.

“I had hoped that the little money I made from selling here would help me raise her and educate her. But now I do not know how I am going to provide for her,” she said. “What am I supposed to do?”

Ruwa Local Board spokesperson Josephine Mupakati defended the exercise as a necessary measure to restore order, uphold bylaws, and guarantee public safety across public spaces.

“Vendors are being removed because those are not designated areas for the activities they are conducting there,” Mupakati stated, rejecting claims of targeted enforcement.

Addressing the bribery accusations, Mupakati urged residents never to make unofficial payments and to insist on official council receipts.

She said that affected vendors should report any demands for money directly to council offices or the public relations department so the matters could be investigated.

Mupakati added that the local board is currently registering traders seeking space at approved markets.

She said a recent review revealed many affected vendors had failed to apply for legitimate trading bays.

The council urged all informal traders to comply with municipal regulations and register through official channels.