Bulawayo City Council cops handcuff and assault vendor

Six Bulawayo City Council municipal police officers who were carrying routine raids on unlicensed vendors yesterday, allegedly handcuffed a vendor, Mark Chibanda, beat him up and stomped on his head until he became unconscious.

As a result, angry vendors chased the municipal cops and threw stones at the City Hall. Chibanda of Old Pumula suburb lay on the pavement for almost an hour before an ambulance came to collect and rush him to the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH). A vendor who refused to be named told The Chronicle that the municipal police officers had earlier confiscated Mr Chibanda’s wares and he confronted them at around 4PM which resulted in them assaulting him.

The Chronicle reports that a council official who declined to be identified but was referred to as Dube by vendors, said what happened to Mr Chibanda “is normal.”