Ray Nkosi | Acting MDC President Elias Mudzuri has embarked on a humanitarian campaign visiting hospitals and the less priviledged, in the process obliterating the campaigns that First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa was carrying out.

Mnangagwa made headlines recently as she visited orphans and hospitals, telling the world she was touched by the plight of the less privildged.

Mudzuri has in the past days also visited hospitals, made a tour of areas talking to vendors.

In a statement the MDC said the acting President urged interactive co-existence between Harare City Council and the vendors. He acknowledged that vendors were a reality in Harare that had emerged as a result of the failure by the Zanu PF government to create meaningful employment for the people, adding that the ruling party had dismally failed to meet its promise of creating 2,2 million jobs.

The acting President, who was accompanied by Harare city councilors, senior party officials and MDC alliance partners, said vendors and council authorities should work together to ensure the city does not experience the outbreak of diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

Hon. Mudzuri said it was remiss on the part of government to threaten to unleash the army on the vendors, adding that the issue of informal traders should be demilitarized and soldiers should remain in the barracks.

It emerged at the meeting that contrary to claims of a purported joint statement between the City of Harare and government giving vendors an ultimatum to leave the streets, the Mayor of Harare and his council were never consulted.  It emerged that government had unilaterally issued the ultimatum and misrepresented that it as a joint position with the MDC-run council in Harare.

On their part, the vendors, thanked the party leaders for creating the interactive platform and urged the council to sort out problems such as toilet and ablution facilities in the city. They also urged council to re-look into issues of punitive fines and prohibitive rates charged on informal traders, among other issues.

The acting MDC President urged the vendors to vote wisely in the next election, adding that President Morgan Tsvangirai had shown in the inclusive government that he could address the challenges facing the people and the country.