Harare turns into war zone as police fire teargas at protesting vendors

Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare turned into a war zone as police fired teargas to disperse vendors who intern retaliated by pelting stones yesterday morning.

People are feared to have been seriously injured during the clashes.

Passersby who were doing their usual businesses were not spared as they were choked with the smoke, with mothers carrying babies at their backs seen running trying to escape the violent skirmishes seen in some videos of the clashes.

The videos of police and vendors fighting have since gone viral.

The move by police to invade the streets of Harare has been prompted by government’s declaration last week that all vendors should vacate the streets in a move aimed at containing cholera outbreak.

The move was later adopted to all the country’s towns and cities, however despite a few skirmishes other areas managed to enforce the exercise smoothly.

The clashes comes at a time wounds are still fresh regarding the killing of six people last month during protests of the disputed harmonised elections in which President Emmerson Mnangagwa narrowly beat MDC-Alliance candidate Nelson Chamisa.