POOR planning by the of Local Government ministry and Harare City Council was exposed on Saturday when street vendors evicted from the central business district (CBD) invaded a shrine used by members of the apostolic sect along Seke Road and disrupted a church service.
BY MOSES MATENGA
The vendors spent the better part of the day queuing for registration and allocation of stands in the process disturbing worshippers who were holding their church service.
The apostolic sect members later moved 300 metres away from the site to avoid clashes as council officials were clearing the ground for vendors.
This comes as council has threatened to ban open-air worship at sites where there are no ablution facilities and running water.
“Council officials said they would come here to register us so we are just waiting for them. There are some people, who said they were from Zanu PF, who left a few minutes ago saying they were going to council to get the officials on the ground,” said one of the vendors on site.
Officials at Town House refused to comment on how they would defuse the tension as some apostolic sect members vowed to keep on worshipping at the site.
“Let us deal with the vendors’ issue first,” a top council official, who declined to be named said.
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The official, however, accused the Zimbabwe Republic Police of failing to assist in flushing out vendors from the CBD following the lapse of the June 26 deadline announced by Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo early last month.
