THE City of Harare could be losing thousands of dollars in potential revenue to illegal parking cartels involving rogue parking marshals and MDC-Alliance thugs who have grabbed parking space, investigations by this paper have revealed.

It was also established that the parking lots on the streets have now been turned into vehicle showrooms where unregistered ex-Japanese cars for sale are parked dangerously, obstructing other traffic and blocking roads.

Car dealers have moved from the peripheries of the city into the central business district where they have somehow found their way with the parking marshals and occupy the parking bays throughout the day.

These closely-knit groups have taken over parking spaces in the central business district, rendering City Parking officials irrelevant.

They at times bully the parking marshals, threatening them not to operate in “their areas”.

In terms of the Urban Councils Act and Municipal Traffic Laws Enforcement Act, local authorities are the only ones mandated with enforcement of Traffic By-laws which include parking management, clamping vehicles, towing and impounding vehicles that have violated the Traffic By-laws.State media