The War Between Police And Harare Vendors Continues

Riot police were called in to to deal with vendors who stoned the mobile police post on First Street in Harare.

This was after vendors resisted attempts by the municipal police to confiscate their wares in its ongoing clampdown on vendors selling in undesignated areas. The vendors then started beating up any member of the uniformed forces they could come across and then also stoning the mobile police post.

When we got there the riot police were leading away a few suspects but everything had calmed down and business was normal save for the TN Banking Mall which remained closed.

I am all for making sure that we decongest the city. I think that we really we can’t have people selling what they like wherever they please. They have to be rules for some of these things otherwise we will have all manner of unspeakable things happening in the city.

That said, the city needs to provide viable alternatives. I don’t think there are many who fancy the idea of walking all the way to Market Square to access the alternative market for something that is not worth the distance.

That is the only way that decongestion will work without the riot police needing to be called in to have physical conversations with the vendors. This is where common sense comes into play. If things keep going on the way they are, criminal elements will join in the noise and nobody wants that.

The reality is that the vendors need the hustle to survive. The City Council should be creating an environment that allows them to do it, within the law.