By Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube
Zim GBC News Editor<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bulawayo \u2013 Thousands of vendors across Zimbabwe are openly flouting a government ban on second-hand clothing imports and night vending, igniting a standoff between desperate citizens and authorities determined to “clean cities” by December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe\u2019s fortnight-old prohibition has collapsed as vendors flood Harare and Bulawayo streets after dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We\u2019re unemployed. Should we starve indoors?” challenged Rudo Murotsi, a Mufakose mother selling bales of clothes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Formal jobs don\u2019t exist \u2013 this feeds my children.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voices of Defiance:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00b7 Leroy Kufa (Glen View graduate): “I\u2019ve vended since 2015. This paid my siblings\u2019 school fees. How else do we survive?”
\u00b7 Minister Garwe (at council workshop): “Night vending is just drugs and substance abuse! Who shops at 1 AM? We\u2019ll clear all cities by December \u2013 these are Presidential directives.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Government\u2019s Hardline Stance:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Garwe announced sweeping measures:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Economic Reality Check:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vendors argue the bans ignore Zimbabwe\u2019s economic collapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“When industry shuts down, bales become lifelines,” said a Bulawayo trader operating covertly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Garwe dismissed this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Zimbabwe can\u2019t be defined by used clothes on pavements. Cleanliness is non-negotiable.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police and municipal officers now face mounting pressure to enforce the unpopular crackdown before year-end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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