“What exactly is the purpose of a curfew for vendors?” Chiredzi Central legislator Blessing Ropafadzo Makumire has challenged the government’s new 6 pm vending cut-off, questioning whether the deadline reflects the realities of traders operating in high-density suburbs.

“For us vendors, finish trading when buses finish operating; 6-6 is for residential areas where the elites live,” Makumire, a Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) MP, said.

He added, “What exactly is the purpose of a curfew for vendors? What problem are we solving?”

His comments follow the government’s announcement of new operating hours for legally registered vendors across all 92 local authorities.

Vending in central business districts (CBDs) is now restricted to 6 am to 6 pm, while traders in residential communities, including high-density suburbs, can operate from 6 am to 8 pm.

The directive, announced by Ministry of Local Government and Public Works Permanent Secretary Tafadzwa Muguti on Thursday, took immediate effect.

The government says the measures are aimed at regulating informal trading, improving the management of public spaces and bringing vending into line with licensing requirements and the formalisation of the sector.

The new hours have, however, raised questions about traders who rely on late-afternoon and evening customers, particularly commuters returning home after work.

Makumire’s challenge puts the focus on whether the new operating hours adequately account for the trading patterns of vendors in an informalised economy.

The government, in collaboration with the City of Harare, launched Operation Chenesa Harare last week, a broader formalisation drive aimed at moving informal traders into regulated and designated trading spaces.

The push for formalisation has since expanded to other cities, small towns, and rural business areas.