File image for illustration purposes
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers were recently caught on camera eating items from a vendor’s stall after the vendor had fled to avoid arrest.
In a video making rounds on social media and also on Crime Watch Zimbabwe X handle, the officers are seen eating the vendor’s food items.
According to the City of Harare bylaws it is an offence to conduct street vending in undesignated places.
Meanwhile, food items, such as fruits, meat, maize, fish and vegetables confiscated during such raids should be destroyed and not eaten by police officers as seen on the video.
For long vendors have engage in cat and mouse situations with law enforcement agencies during blitzs. With vendors subjected to beatings and confiscation of their goods, seizure of items like pushcarts and destruction of their stalls.
In most cases Municipal police officers rope in members of the ZRP and conduct raids undesignated vending sites in the city.
Harare has been struggling to contain waterborne diseases since the 2008 cholera outbreak that left 4 000 people dead and in most cases the blame has been passed on vendors, who sell food items under unhealthy conditions, posing a danger to public health.
In Zimbabwe, according to some reports street vending is believed to be the second-largest provider of informal employment.
Zwnews
