THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has expressed concern over the proliferation of illegal flea markets in the city as many people turn to informal trading to make ends meet.
According to latest council minutes, city fathers said they had discovered that some business owners were turning their premises into unregistered flea markets, citing the case of an illegal flea market operating at Stand 1097 Bulawayo Township.
“The flea market was operated by Sibambene Traders Association and Skytop Motor Spares t/a Skytop Flea Market which were the tenants in this instance. The property owner was TBIC-Investments Private Limited,” the minutes read.
“Several letters had been written to both the tenants and the landlord respectively (Skytop Motor Spares t/a Skytop Flea Market, Sibambene Traders Association, Ncube Attorneys being the legal representative of Sibambene Association) and (TBIC-Investments Private Limited) advising them to regularise or cease the operation of an illegal flea market on Stand 1097 Bulawayo Township."
According to the minutes, Skytop Motor Spares t/a Skytop applied for a development permit to establish a flea market on Stand 1096 Bulawayo Township and permission was granted.
“However, Skytop Motor Spares t/a Skytop Flea market went on to establish the flea market on Stand 1097 Bulawayo Township which does not have a development permit to establish a flea market. The flea market on Stand 1097 Bulawayo Township was established without council authority,” the minutes read.
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“It should be noted that a development permit was issued to a stand not to an entity and it was not transferable.
“Once a development permit is issued it should be implemented within 12 months. The department has written several letters to both the tenant and landlord to regularise or cease operations of the illegal flea market.”
The minutes added: “To date no action had been taken by both parties, that is, the landlord and the tenants, towards council’s advice to either regularise or cease operations.”