A FIERCE debate has erupted in Masvingo City Council after a councillor accused municipal police of confiscating vendors’ goods under unclear circumstances, with items, which are supposed to returned to their owners, mysteriously disappearing.
Speaking in a tense full council meeting, ward 10 councillor Sengerai Manyanga questioned why vendors who pay admission of guilt fines often receive fewer goods back than those seized.
“Municipal police are confiscating vendors’ goods, but after a vendor pays a fine for trading without a shop licence, those same goods are returned, but with some items missing. Why?” Manyanga said.
“If a vendor had 50 watermelons when apprehended, they might only get 40 back after paying the fine. So where do the missing 10 go?”
Manyanga argued that the raids devastate household incomes, affecting families’ ability to pay rent and school fees.
“We are criminalising survival,” he said.
Keep Reading
- Senior cops jailed over smuggling
- Senior cops jailed over smuggling
- ED challenger court documents ‘disappear’
- Midlands records decline in stocktheft
“They are not criminals.
“They are mothers, fathers and young people trying to support their families.”
He called for designated vending zones, affordable permits and joint monitoring committees involving vendors.
His remarks drew support from Patriotic Vendors4ED national chairperson Esawu Jere.
“In the second republic, vendors have evolved to a well-organised and influential force,” Jere said.
“Our groups are not just trading collectives. We are involved in community development, clean-up campaigns and charity work, all aligned with the national Vision 2030.”