Street vendors giving shop operators a run for their money

By Tendai Munhazu

The daily struggles for survival coupled with high unemployment in Zimbabwe has resulted in mixed fortunes for shop operators who have been dragged into competition with street vendors who are now providing virtually every household commodity.

The ever multiplying street vendors on shop pavements and roadsides are giving shop operators a good run for their money as they tend to charge low prices on the same goods than registered shops and this is attracting cash stricken urban residents who are shunning traditional supermarkets.

Residents confirm that walking to places such as Copacabana is now nightmarish and requires patience as people constantly bump into stacked foodstuffs displayed in shop pavements.

In the high-density suburbs the vendors are sprouting at every corner again giving a hard time to those who operate from designated market stalls that were set up by the urban councils long back.

The same applies to the down town parts of Zimbabwean cities where pedestrians hardly find a clear path to walk on as vendors have taken over the pavements with their mini-markets hoping to scoop customers in a trade where competition is the rule of the game.

Among these survivors is a 38-year-old Mufakose woman Taizivei Masawi who sustains her family through selling various types of vegetables along Chinhoyi Street in the capital.

Masawi says she has been in the vending business for more than 15 years now and has experienced all the challenges and changes that the trade has gone through.

She testified that the street vending business has suffered a drastic drop in profits accelerated by an ever-increasing number of players venturing in the trade on a daily basis as well as the upshot in the cost of living.

“Cost of living is continuously sky rocketing and levels of unemployment are too on an increase following the economic hardships that have afflicted Zimbabweans,” she said.

“Back in the day, women would manage to pay their bills and send children to school and still remain with surplus for other basic commodities,” added Masawi.

This has become a thing of the past as the seller to buyer ratio has transformed. Sellers are increasing while buyers decrease. Other vendors admitted that they are now surviving in a hand to mouth situation just enough to sustain their most basic daily bread from their markets.

They have pronounced that if ever there were a better option they would dump this formerly reliable trade that has betrayed them.

“The only reason why I’m still in this business is because I don’t have any other business to do, other ways I would have left it way back” said a 27 year old Lorraine Dube from the Kuwadzana suburb.

“I can’t spend the whole day at home doing nothing or indulge in other immoral trades such as prostitution. At least this is better than none”, Dube added.

Another significant point to note is that, traditionally it used to be a business associated with our mothers while our sisters, brothers, and fathers were into other trades.

In contrast, it is no longer confined specifically to a certain group of people but it’s now open for everyone, as it has reached a 50-50 representation of both sexes in all age groups.

Some women have attributed the loss of business to an increase in numbers of man who are young and energetic hence are fast and lively in running for customers.

Vongai Mutero an elderly vendor from Budiriro confirmed this saying she can no longer compete with the young men in rushing for customers on buses and cars that stop by their market place.

A driving customer who stopped to buy airtime also agreed with the same sentiment, “That’s true, that’s why I don’t buy airtime from these young fellows. I buy from vanaGogo because I know they are disadvantaged when it comes to hustling for survival,” said Grace Mashonganyika a well-hearted citizen.

Contacted to commend on the reasons for their increase in this trade, a lot of men attributed it to high levels of unemployment and increases in the basic commodity prices, which has forced everyone to set up a shop.

Israel Moyo who operates from 4th street said due to the shortage of jobs, people have to hang their certificates and entry into a trade, which can give them instant money unlike staying at home hoping to get a job that has no promise.

“We went to school but at the moment we can not get any jobs. I can’t stay at home because right now I don’t have any guaranteed promise. Its better to hustle in the streets until something comes up or else I will die of hunger. Mabasa haasi kubatika and yet prices keep on rising” said a worried Moyo.

To date, street vending is no longer a trade set aside for those who did not do well at school as graduates are even seen hustling in the same trade.

Mr Sedrick Chenjera, a businessman who is into butcheries, fast-food outlets and grocery shops expressed his deep concern over the sprouting of vendors who sell products similar to his in the shop pavements saying this poses a challenge to his business as many customers will opt for cheaper products offered outside.

He said he faces such a challenge at his Kwekwe based butchery, which he says has been overtaken by vendors who sell chicken and fish in front of his butchery at very low prices which attracts his potential customers.

“My butchery has been performing badly because of those vendors who have stationed themselves in front of my shop. Actually they are hijacking my customers who would have initially intended to buy in my butchery only to discover that there is a cheaper option outside,” said Chenjera.

Chenjera said this challenge is even more concentrated in Harare where street vending has become the main business of the day. His Harare shops are suffering a significant loss.

The issue however is all over the country with most of the cities such as Bulawayo, Mutare, Gweru and other towns being invaded by street vendors. Vendors say the national economic challenges are leaving them with no option but to sell anything available at any place that has a potential customer base.

At the same time, every one of them is hustling for survival in this trade leaving them in a tight competition where only the fittest will survive as the profits have declined with time.