City of Masvingo (Hawkers and Vendors) By-laws, 2025
Masvingo hawkers and vendors must be licensed, and a trader with a contagious disease is ordered to stop selling food at once — with the licence returned free once a clean medical certificate is produced.
These by-laws licence hawkers, vendors and flea market traders in the City of Masvingo and set the conditions of trading, including the control of hawkers and vendors, flea market trading, employers of hawkers and vendors, land set aside for people's markets, applications for bays, stalls and tables, medical certificates of health, restrictions and conditions of licences, renewal, refusal and cancellation, inspection, hygiene and food safety, removal of waste, replacement of lost licences, change of address, the appearance of vending bays, and seizure and disposal of unclaimed goods.
Disease control is direct. Where a hawker, vendor or stall holder engaged or employed by a licence holder has a contagious or infectious disease, the council may direct the holder in writing to stop engaging or employing that person in the sale of food forthwith, and cancels the licence if the direction is not obeyed. A temporarily withdrawn licence is returned at no extra charge once a Medical Certificate of Health issued after the withdrawal certifies that the person is no longer infected, and any cancelled or withdrawn licence must be returned to the council immediately.
A health officer or specially authorised person may inspect at any reasonable time any food cart, container, stall, bay, storage premises, clothing or equipment used in the business, to check cleanliness, fire precautions and compliance, and obstruction is prohibited. Traders must keep everything clean, must not sell unsound or unwholesome food, must protect food from dirt, dust and flies, must not sell food while knowingly infected, and must not use food equipment for other purposes.
The extract available here was truncated before the fee and penalty schedules, so those amounts should be read in the instrument itself.
What changed
- Hawking and vending require a council licence or permit, with medical certification for food sellers
- The council may order a licence holder to stop engaging an infected trader, and cancels the licence if ignored
- A withdrawn licence is returned free once a clean medical certificate is produced
- Health officers may inspect carts, stalls, storage and equipment at any reasonable time
- Detailed hygiene and food safety duties apply, with seizure and disposal of unclaimed goods
Who this affects
- Hawkers, vendors and flea market traders in Masvingo
- Employers of vendors and hawking agents
- Food vendors needing a Medical Certificate of Health
- Council health officers
Plain-language summary — not legal advice. Always read the full instrument.