By Tinei Tuhwe
HARARE Mayor, Councillor Jacob Mafume has assured residents and ratepayers his council his seized with investigating allegations of municipal police harassment of street vendors, emphasising the need for humane policing.
The city premier’s statement follows numerous complaints from street traders, who claim they have been victimised by municipal police officers.
Vendors have reported having their goods confiscated, while some allege physical abuse.
Speaking after a tour of Rufaro Stadium this week, Mafume said the City of Harare (CoH) police should do their work properly and in a humane manner and avoid dastardly acts of looting wares for personal gain.
“We need to police in a human manner. People work hard to buy goods to earn a living. We are impressing upon our police that policing is not looting. We don’t tolerate looting of someone’s goods,” Mafume said
The city premier expressed concern over the current approach, where police take vendors’ money and goods without a court process.
“That is a wrong approach, and we will try to assist every vendor affected by our police officers’ conduct.”
He acknowledged that while vendors may have committed offences, it is essential to follow due process and respect their rights.
To address this, he highlighted that council plans to develop hotlines, tackle corruption, and adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards bribery.
Those caught soliciting for bribes and prey on the weak will face consequences, he said.
“We must clamp down on that behaviour. We will come hard at it, using the precision of a butcher’s cleaver and the force of a hippopotamus to push away such deviance among our council,” Mafume said.
The mayor also emphasised the need for a fair dispute resolution process, where vendors are able to pay fines for illegally trading on street pavements and retrieve their wares using receipts.
“I don’t see the relationship between taking someone’s goods and policing. Those are two different things. We ask the police to operate in a particular area, not to take someone’s goods.
“We need to examine our methodologies and ensure a process for people to receive compensation.”