There was mayhem in Harare’s central business district (CBD) yesterday as an unidentified female vendor threatened to kill herself after municipality police confiscated her wares.
The cat and mouse game between municipal police and vendors intensified after the then Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Dr Ignatius Chombo insisted that all illegal vendors must be flushed out of Harare central business district.
The woman dared death when she lay beneath a council truck, registration AAE 7906 and vowed not to move until her wares were returned.
The vendor who could not be moved even by persuasion from the Zimbabwe Republic Police told municipal police to return her wares or run her over with the truck.
Cross sectional view of the vendor under the truck
“Zvakwana majaira kubira zvinhu zvavo pano handibvi kusvika mandipa zvinhi zvangu (I would not move until you give me my wares back,” she said with tears rolling down her cheeks.
The angry crowd that gathered around the scene also supported the woman and urged her to remain underneath the truck.
“Stay put my sister, we want to see what they will do, it is high time we resist this madness from council,” shouted a vendor who identified himself as Bla Gidza.
An unidentified man kneels down to see the vendor
After an hour long scuffle with municipality police, the woman was later given back her wares and finally went back to where she was selling with other vendors ululating her victory.
Such incidents have become common with vendors trying to resist the municipality police from confiscating their wares.
Another female vendor based in Gweru recently battled with municipal police after her goods were confiscated. She lay on the tarred road as she could not let go of her wares.
Efforts to get a comment from Harare City Council Spokesperson, Michael Chideme were fruitless as his phone was not reachable.
As the economy continues to shrink, many people have been forced to venture into vending. While vending has become, the chief source of income for many Zimbabweans, crackdown on this informal employment has also intensified.
