New Alliance Aims to End Fragmented Voices in the Gweru Informal Trade Sector

By Delicious Mathuthu

Gweru, Zimbabwe -
Stakeholders from Gweru’s ballooning informal economy have united to form a cohesive representative body, aiming to streamline engagement with local authorities and government to address challenges facing thousands of informal workers.

The Gweru Informal Economy Working Group (IEWG), a new platform bringing together informal traders' associations, residents' groups, local authorities, police, and other stakeholders, has already brainstormed its foundational Charter and terms of reference at a capacity-building workshop held in Gweru on October 24.

Led by the Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET), in partnership with Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association and supported by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), the event marked a step towards creating a single, inclusive voice for a sector that authorities said was long plagued by fragmented representation and calls for greater transparency.

The Gweru Informal Economy Working Group (IEWG) held the transformative Governance and Leadership Capacity Building Workshop as part of the “Organizing Informal Economy for Inclusive Transformation” (OIEIT) project, led by VISET.

The one-day event in Gweru united stakeholders, including informal traders’ associations, residents’ groups, Gweru City Council, government departments, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and others, to strengthen collaboration and address challenges faced by informal workers.

Formed following a Bulawayo-Gweru exchange and learning visit, the IEWG seeks to streamline engagement within Gweru’s informal economy ecosystem.

“This platform we are creating is not a VISET thing, it’s a thing for informal economy associations,” Edward Kapodogo, VISET Programs Officer said, adding, “We realized that we had so many associations, which meant the local authority had to deal with so many different voices from informal traders.”

The workshop aimed to strengthen the governance, leadership, and institutional capacity of the IEWG.

Participants drafted and validated the IEWG Charter and Terms of Reference, awaiting operationalisation of its interim leadership structure and development of sub-committee work plans.

Through group discussions, gallery walks, and scenario-based exercises, they established guiding principles and built skills in governance, conflict resolution and inclusive leadership.

Kapodogo highlighted Bulawayo’s model, stating that it was not all rosey hence the need for unity.

“Bulawayo started in 2017, it took years to have such a setup, they had challenges along the way, some walking away, coming back, but today they have something, it is not perfect but it’s working," he said.

He stressed setting aside personal and political differences, and fostering transparency, unity and neutral facilitation.

Local stakeholders reinforced these themes as witnessed by Godknows Mudzingwa from the Gweru Vendors and Traders Association who called for unity, while Thomas Moyo from Vendors for Economic Development urged organized representation.

“Known representatives should approach offices of local authority to maintain order and not have every jack and Jill flooding the offices,” Moyo said.

Meanwhile, Angeline Zivanayi from the Midlands Vendors Association raised concerns about corruption within the local authority.

“Monies collected are disappearing, as witnessed during budget feedback meetings where thousands went missing," she said.

She also called for authorities to clean up the CBD of illegal vendors and.create legal spaces and put order in town.

Nyaradzo Ndlovu from the Ministry of Youth Empowerment stressed on the need for effective communication, urging the IEWG, saying it should be ritual, sharing information from vendors to the local authority or stakeholders, and vice versa.”

Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA) Executive Director, Cornilia Selipiwe, advocated for inclusivity, stating that the charter to be drafted should encompass every vendor, and accommodate diverse perspectives to find common ground.