Vendors in Harare are living in fear as some members of the Zimbabwe National Army are on a reign of terror, beating up defenseless informal traders using guns, open palms and whips.
This is despite a directive from President Emmerson Mnangagwa to stop the brutality.
Yesterday 263Chat witnessed gun-toting soldiers, in the company of Harare City Council Police, beating up vendors along Julius Nyerere Avenue as well as Chinhoyi street before confiscating their wares and in some instances, forcing them to eat uncooked vegetables.
“What kind of a country is this? We cannot live in peace because of these soldiers. We are simply trying to sell these things so that we earn a living, and when these ED boys come to harass us, it means we cannot do anything for survival,” said one lady, identified as Amai Samantha.
Another vendor, Marshall Chakanyuka, told 263Chat how they were being ill-treated by the army and Harare City Council.
“They are beating us daily, they come and force us to lie on the ground then they tell us to eat everything and anything that we will be selling. Just this afternoon, a lady who sells cigarettes around this place was forced to eat them. They only stopped forcing her after she had chocked, that’s when they took everything she had and they left her with nothing,” he said.
An elderly lady who sells her wares along Julius Nyerere Avenue said some soldiers are now in the habit of following people to Mbare Musika in the wee hours of the morning to confiscate their goods.
“Two days ago, my friend lost her stuff to people who were in military fatigue. She was coming from Mbare and they stopped her while interrogating her while she was moving very early in the morning. They accused her of being a criminal who had stolen the stuff despite her pleading her innocence.
“This is a high level of lawlessness and we appeal to be rescued from these monsters before it’s too late,” she said.
Reports of the army brutalising citizens have been on an increase but yesterday, the ZNA issued a statement encouraging citizens to report any violence at the hands of the army.
Since last week’s violent protests, soldiers have been running amok, terrorizing residents, beating them and in some instances, forcing them out of their homes.
There have also been reports of the army raping and sexually assaulting women in southern suburbs of Harare and other parts of the country.
In a viral video clip, an unidentified woman gives an account of how she was raped by the army.
“On January 17, soldiers were patrolling in our area. They usually come and they are familiar with people in the area.
“On that particular day during the night, I arrived home late and saw some soldiers near my house and they were in the maize field. They asked for certain people, but to my surprise, those were my children and sensing danger, I said they were not home,” she said.
