In a full council meeting held last week in Kwekwe, Midlands Province, an MDC councillor called for the army to be deployed to deal with vendors operating in the city.
Washington Moyo said that the municipal police have failed to deal with the vendors and he expressed confidence that the army could do a better job. Said Moyo:
I have noticed that our council security personnel are not effective in the discharge of their duties. They are not being taken seriously by the vendors.
I think it’s a waste of time to dispatch our security personnel on the ground to chase away vendors from the streets because the moment they leave, vendors will come back.
Under the circumstances, I think it’s prudent that we engage the army. I suggest that we use the army to bring sanity to our city.
Illegal vendors have mushroomed in all urban areas in recent years as the economy has continued in its comatose state. As industries close and the cost of living escalates, hordes of people have flooded the streets to eke out a living through selling various wares.
More: NewZimbabwe.com