To Asphyxiate Informality or to Grow the Local Economy? Of the Novel Coronavirus, Clean-up Campaigns and the Future of Urban Planning in Zimbabwe

Abstract

In this study, we employ the prebendal theory to examine the rationality of the decision by the officials in Harare, Zimbabwe, to implement ‘clean-up’ campaigns aimed at reorganising public spaces harbouring informal markets during the country’s COVID-19 lockdown. We argue that the decision to implement the clean-up during the lockdown has deeper roots beyond the COVID-19 pandemic as the authorities simply use the pandemic as a scapegoat to eradicate the informal sector that for long has been considered as a nuisance in the city of Harare. The purpose is to demonstrate how difficult it is to do ‘backdoor urban planning’ by taking advantage of an event like the lockdown. Using a document review and interviewing, the article brings in critical insights and foresights involving the state having to fix the broader fundamentals in industrialisation, creating new avenues in investment and employment.