Informal traders and Zanu PF youths led by Mutare District Coordinating (DCC) Secretary for Youth Affairs Danmore Mambondiyani today besieged Sakubva vegetable market and grabbed tables in defiance of a municipality decision to stop trading at the populated site in favour of decentralisation.
This sets traders on a collision course with Mutare City Council authorities who had stopped trade at the site due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When 263Chat arrived at Sakubva Vegetable market, traders were picketing on the instruction of youth leader Mambondiyani who sent a social media post inciting traders to re occupy their stands.
“Everyone on their table Flea Market Sakubva let’s go back to our tables,” read the post.
The Zanu PF youth leader addressed scores of vendors denouncing council for removing vendors on the site without consultation.
When reached for a comment, Mambondiyani said there was no going back on the re-occupation of Sakubva market adding that 2000 people had benefitted from the exercise.
“So we are saying since we have all the document proving that we have been communicating, there is nothing stopping us to set up until they give us a different direction
“We have distributed tables, 2000 for clothing, for the fruit and vegetables there are close to 800, it was done peacefully council and the ZRP came to monitor if everything was done in a peaceful manner and everything was above board,” he said
City council spokesperson Spren Mutiwi was not reachable for comment, as he was not picking his phone.
Former Deputy Mayor Kudakwashe Chisango who was recalled from council by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) dismissed this as mere politicking.
“This is the way of that party always coming up with freebies during election time without due consideration for its future impact.
“Council made that decision as support for the Sakubva Urban Renewal project to clear space and ensure that we set up a platform for development,” he said.
Party insiders have said the youths are acting on instructions from the top hierarchy following the recent visit by President Mnangagwa.
“When the President visited he gave instruction that the vendors be returned on their site.
“It was like an instruction that the vendors be returned at Sakubva in one month. This is the reason why the youths are running around like this is part of the 5 million votes target,” said a party insider.
