BULAWAYO Vendors and Traders’ Association (BVTA) has rapped the government and local authorities for clamping down on its members, while illegal cash dealers are left to operate freely on street corners.

In a statement to mark commemorations of International Workers’ Day yesterday, BVTA said it was shocked by the selective application of the law, where vendors are brutally raided, while money changers on street corners are left untouched.

“We call upon the local authority to treat all citizens in an equal manner and respect their rights as enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe,” the association said.

“We are still aggrieved that the informal sector is besieged with many challenges ie lack of clear government policies on social security, lack of medical healthcare schemes, but it is the biggest employer with over 5 million Zimbabweans,” part of the statement read.

“We are deeply concerned that at local level informal workers are facing a glaring criminalisation of their sector, municipal law enforcement agents are unleashed to conduct violent raids that have maimed vendors and left trails of destruction. Their goods continue to be confiscated and disappear on their way to storage facilities.”