Harare vendor crackdown set for September 9 deadline

The Zimbabwean government has given thousands of informal traders in Harare a September 9 deadline to vacate undesignated trading spots or face a comprehensive zero-tolerance clean-up. The crackdown, which targets street vendors operating outside legal zones, has drawn sharp criticism from rights groups who argue it will decimate livelihoods without offering alternatives. The operation risks inflaming tensions in a city where the informal economy employs the majority.