‘Picking up the pieces’: Reconstructing the informal economic sector in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Abstract
English: Since the launch of Operation Restore Order in May 2005 in all urban centres by the
Zimbabwean government, the informal economic sector in Bulawayo has undergone
significant transformations and growth. In contravention of the legal and regulatory
controls and against the backdrop of a severe economic crisis, the government
embarked on a clean-up campaign that devastated the urban poor and reduced
them to destitute people. The blitz destroyed informal business structures, evicting and
detaining operators and confiscating their wares purporting to restore the lost glimmer
and liveliness of the city. Even registered vendors that operated at designated sites with
operating licences properly issued by the city authorities were not spared. This study’s
preliminary findings reveal how the planning system has metamorphosed to keep up with
changing circumstances and how it has helped to revolutionise the vendors’ struggles
by organising and mobilising them to revive the indispensable informal economy. In
conclusion the article argues that city authorities should work closely with the associations
of the urban poor to achieve the objectives both of maintaining urban health and of
ensuring the means of livelihood for the unemployed, in particular against the backdrop
of a distressed formal sector that has reeled under economic structural adjustments that
led to massive deindustrialisation and retrenchments since the 1990s. Afrikaans: Sedert die begin van die Zimbabwiese regering se Operasie Herstel Orde in al die stede
in Mei 2005 het die informele sektor in Bulawayo betekenisvolle transformasies en groei
ondergaan. Teenstrydig met die wetgewende en regulerende beheermaatreëls en teen
die agtergrond van ‘n ernstige ekonomiese krisis het die regering ‘n opruimingsveldtog
gevoer wat die stedelike armes se lewens verwoes, en hul haweloos gemaak het. In die
blits veldtog is informele besigheidstrukture vernietig, operateurs uitgedryf of gevange
geneem, en hul ware gekonfiskeer in ‘n poging om die verlore glorie en lewenskragtigheid
van die stede te herwin. Selfs geregistreerde handelaars wat op aangewese ruimtes,
met goedgekeurde permitte wat deur die plaaslike owerheid uitgereik was, handel
gedryf het, was nie gespaar nie. Voorlopige bevindings van hierdie studie toon aan hoe
die beplanningsisteem verander het om tred te hou met veranderende omstandighede
en hoe dit gelei het tot die revolusionarisering van die informele handelaars se stryd
deur die organisering en mobilisering van die handelaars met die oog daarop om die
onvervangbare informele ekonomie te laat herlewe. Laastens is daar gevind dat die
plaaslike owerhede nou met organisasies van die stedelike armes sal saamwerk om
beide die doelwitte van behoud van stedelike welstand en metodes van oorlewing vir
die werkloses te bereik, naamlik teen die agtergrond van ‘n sukkelende formele sektor
wat gebuk gaan onder die program van ekonomiese strukturele aanpassings wat gelei
het tot deindustrialisasie en afdankings sedert die 1990s. SeSotho: Haesale ho thakgolwa Leano la ho Boloka
Molao kgweding ya Motsheanong 2005 ditsing
tsohle tsa metse ya ditoropo ke mmuso wa
Zimbabwe, lefapha la moruo la bahwebi sa
seng molaong motsemoholo wa Bulawayo le
fetohile le hona ho hola ruri.Thulanong le molao
le ditaolo tsa melawana esitana le ho weng
ka sekgahla ha moruo, mmuso o ikakgetse ka
setotswana letsholong la ho hlwekisa le tshwara
batho ba futsanehileng metseng ya ditoropo
ho ba fetola mehofe.Taba ena ya sehloho
sena e sentse metheo ya kgwebo ya bahwebi
ba seng molaong, ho falliswa batho le ho
tshwara ba tsamaisang kgwebo ena esitana
le ho nka thepa ya bona eo ba e rekisang ho
bewa lebakanyana la hore ho kgutlisetswa
botle le bophelo ba motsemoholo. Ekasitana
le bahwebi ba mebileng ba ngodisitsweng ka
molao ba neng ba rekisetsa ditsheng tse nang le
mangolo a tumello (dilaksense) tse ntshitsweng
ka molao ke balaodi ba motsemoholo ha di
a ka tsa bolokwa. Diphuputso tsa pelenyana
tsa thuto ena di hlahisa kamoo mokgwa wa
moralo o fetohileng kateng ho boloka kgato le
maemo a fetohang le hore ho thusitse jwang ho
matlafatsa dintwa tsa hohahamalla bophelo
ba bahwebi ba mebileng ka ho hlophisa le
ho ipopa ngatana e le nngwe boitsekong
ba bona ho tsosa moruo wa kgwebo e seng
molao ya bohlokwa. Qetellong ditaba tsena
di hlalosa hore balaodi kapa batsamaisi ba ka
sehloohong ba motsemoholo ba tshwanetse
ho sebetsa mmoho le mekgatlo ya bafutsanehi
ba metseng ya ditoropo hore bobedi ba bona
ba atlehe ho fumana maekemisetso a bona a
ho boloka bophelo ba metse ya ditoropong
le ho tiisa mekgwa ya bophelo bo botle ba
batho ba sa sebetseng haholoholo ka baka
la ho lahlehelwa ha lefapha la bahwebi ba
seng molaong leo le ileng la putlama ka tlasa
dikamano tsa motheo tsa moruo tse bakileng
hore ho be le ho wa ha diindasteri esitana le
ho ntshuwa mesebetsing ha batho ho hoholo
haesale ho tloha ka dilemo tsa bo1990.