In a revelation that has left many Zimbabweans shocked, more than 45% of the illegal vendors in Bulawayo and Harare are Zimbabwe Republic Police officers’ wives just as many cops are themselves also street merchants.
According to vendors’ representatives, the wives who are mostly selling meat and fish do not face the wrath of their husbands, and what they sell would have been confiscated from the civilian vendors.
“We have been victims of Police and municipal security, as they do not arrest vendors from Ross Camp, which house police and their spouses. On several occasions, we have been arrested by municipal police and our goods ending up in the hands of their spouses reselling them on the streets, much to our pain,” said Sikhola Bhebhe a Lobengula street vendor.
Another Bulawayo’s Fife street vendor also told the mayor during the meeting that, it was the duty of the city fathers to treat their ratepayers equally, without segregation. “I am not happy with the way municipal police and the ZRP handle our issues. They only arrest us, leaving their wives to feast on our wares. One day we will poison our wares and let them eat as they are also using evil tactics,” said a visibly dejected Sitshengisiwe.
The vendors and informal traders’ chairperson and president, Edward manning, confirmed that police wives constitute the said percentage. “That is true that police wives and their relatives sell meat at Lobengula Street and also in the surrounding streets. They are the highest number of illegal vendors, as they are not affected by police raids and municipal security. We are appealing to the responsible authorities to take action equally not selectively as is the case at present,” said Manning.
Asked to comment, the Bulawayo Mayor told ZimEye.com that he was not sure of the number of police spouses and that he was currently busy trying to find solutions before the 26th June deadline.
“I am currently concerned with the way forward on how to solve our deadline issue with vendors, who are our ratepayers. Our colleagues in the council will look into that accusation, as this was said by a number of vendors’ representatives,” said Mayor Councillor Martin Moyo.