Municipal police, vendors in fresh clashes

THE MDC-T led Mutare City Council last week attempted to evict vendors from the popular Chigomba area, near Sakubva Musika bus terminus despite failing to find an alternative site for them to operate from.

Vendors operating at the site were involved in running battles with municipal police who allegedly confiscated some of their wares.

The vendors said municipal police gave them an ultimatum to vacate the area and threatened to confiscate their wares in the event they defied the order.

Mr Nesbert Matondo, who claimed to represent the vendors, said municipal police pounced on them last week and confiscated their wares while ordering them to vacate the area.

He said municipal officers told them that the area was reserved for vendors who were using a market stall, which was under construction.

“The (municipal) police came and ordered us to vacate the area,” he said. “They confiscated some of our wares. The (municipal) police told us that the area had been reserved for vendors whose market stall was still under construction.

Mr Matondo said they have been in talks with city council over an alternative area to operate from but nothing had materialised.

Mr Matondo said vendors were prepared to pay rentals to council if it designated the area.

Another vendor, Mrs Gladys Chikukwa, echoed the same sentiments and blamed the council for failing to come up with lasting solutions to their problems.

“We survive on vending and once we are chased away from the streets we will no longer have a livelihood. We are prepared to pay rentals if council allocates us a place to operate from,” she said.

Mutare City Council public relations officer Mr Spren Mutiwi, however, denied the clashes.

“I have been to the area and did not witness anything,” he said. “I even had a meeting with their representatives and they never said anything about that. I think there is someone who is trying to misrepresent facts.”

Aspiring Member of Parliament for Mutare Central Dr Nancy Saungweme in a Zanu-PF campaign roadmap meeting held recently complained of municipal officers who were harassing vendors.

Dr Saungweme said she had engaged Town Clerk Mr Joshua Maligwa over the matter to find a lasting solution to the problem.