Nametags For Francistown Vendors To Curb Illegal Traders
Pini Bothoko | Wednesday July 20, 2016 16:23
Small traders who sell their wares in all spaces within the Central Business District (CBD) will now put on their nametags that will have their photo and identity during working hours.
This move was confirmed by the vice secretary of Botswana Informal Sector Association (BOISA) Nenguba Mbulawa who is also a member of Matshambo Street Vendors Association in Francistown in an interview with Monitor Business.
Mbulawa said the development follows the mushrooming of squatting small-scale traders in the city, which for years has worried the city leadership.
“The nametags will have a trader’s photo, their full names as well as the association’s name. Those without the tags will stick out like sore thumbs, hence we will be able to arrest illegal traders.
Mbulawa said there are many people from Francistown and neighbouring villages who come to the CBD everyday to sell their goods without licences, noting that it is a concern because even foreigners are now trading within the city without licences, hence taking away citizens’ opportunities to empower themselves.
He said currently small traders are congested within CBD and the numbers are increasing everyday and they hamper the movement of people within the CBD.
“We are hopeful that this initiative will boost our businesses because FCC will be able to identify traders who do so illegally and evict them hence giving us advantage to make better profits. Currently, we are congested, selling the same goods hence competing for limited customers,” said Mbulawa.
Mbulawa said small businesses have the potential of growing since there are government poverty eradication programmes geared at helping them to grow.
A few years back, FCC fought with vendors who were selling their commodities in the CBD without licences because they were making the city dirty.
Reached for a comment about the new development, City clerk, Leboile Israel hailed the move by the vendors as a step in the right direction although he has not formally being briefed about the move.
“The association once told me that they are thinking of introducing nametags amongst themselves. This would go a long way in preventing illegal small-scale vendors from taking business of legitimate traders in the CBD,” said Israel.