By Richard Shumba
City of Gweru has reiterated that refurbishment works at Ivene, Mtapa and Kombayi Rank are nearing completion, despite prolonged delays that have affected operations at
the city’s major informal trading and transport hubs.
City of Gweru Town Clerk Livingstone Churu said construction at the ranks is largely complete, with only outstanding contractual elements still to be addressed before full commissioning can take place.
“It’s almost complete, but there are some contractual elements that need to be
game plan, and materials are being procured,” he said. As part of efforts to improve
orderliness and working conditions, the council plans to install proper shades at the ranks
and ensure that traders are formally registered and recognised. addressed in terms of construction. We are more than 90 percent.”
He acknowledged that while significant progress has been made at Ivene Rank, additional work is still required at Kombayi Rank, with Mtapa Rank also forming part of the council’s ongoing development plans. “More work needs to be done at Kombayi, and not forgetting
Mtapa,” he said.
Churu said Mtapa Rank remains a strategic component of the city’s broader framework to reorganise and formalise informal trading activities in line with urban planning
objectives.
“Mtapa is part of the matrix in terms of realigning the programmes of the informal sector. We are going to put shades there so that everything is regulated, and we are in the process of registering the beneficiaries so that they are recognised,” Churu said.
The town clerk emphasised that the informal sector plays a significant role in Gweru’s
economy and must be integrated into the city’s development agenda while maintaining
cleanliness and order.
“At the end of the day, the informal sector should contribute to the growth of the city because a lot of litter is generated from the informal sector. Hence, the informal sector is important to the growth of the city,” he said.
Council maintains that once outstanding contractual issues are resolved and materials procurement is finalised, the completion of Irvin, Mtapa, and Kombayi ranks will bring
improved regulation, infrastructure, and coordination of informal trading activities
across the city.
