Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

It was at this ground that a vendor was killed on Monday by Harare Municipal Police, who are said to have tripped in and then kicked him in the groin as he fell. These vendors, whom I photographed earlier today, worked with Tonde, the deceased vendor and they pointed to a spot directly behind them, in an open space where children play football, as the spot where the vendor was killed. They are all back in business, saying they have not stolen anything from anyone. They blame "big politicians" for setting the police on them. Harare, Zimbabwe, 12 November 2009 Harare City Council has stopped all raids on "unlicensed" and "Illegal" operators (vendors) in the Zimbabwean capital after 19 more of its Municipal Police were arrested by the Zimbabwe Republic Police yesterday. The City Council had vowed that it would not stop its operation to "clean up the city", saying to me last week that this week they would be going after the illegal foreign currency d...

Zimbabwe's feared riot police battled to contain an irate crowd in Mbare on  Monday after a vendor had been killed in disturbances sparked by a crackdown started by municipal police. Three municipal police have now been arrested over the death Harare, Zimbabwe, 11 November 2009 Some Harare Municipal Policemen and 8 other people have been arrested in Harare over the disturbances that led to the death of a 25 year old vendor and sparked an all-day riot in Mbare on Monday this week. It has now emerged that the vendor died as a result of being tripped by a Municipal Policeman as he fled. It is further alleged that, as he fell, he was kicked in the groin. He died on the spot and the municipal police were unable even to remove his body because the crowd then turned on them and chased them off. Riot police had to be called in, but even they failed to quell the riot because they had come with only one truck. They eventually had to call for reinforcements, which were able to calm the situat...

Harare Municipal Police, who instigated the riot in Mbare yesterday, are seen here no Friday raiding Fourth Street Bus Terminus in the City Centre. Yesterday, they were in Mbare, where one vendor at the open ground opposite Mupedzanhamo Market died while fleeing from them. This prompted one of the worst riots ever seen in Zimbabwe, with residents fighting running battles with riot police for hours despite having teargas thrown at them Harare, Zimbabwe, 10 November 2009 The crackdown by the overzealous and under-qualified Harare Municipal Police has now claimed the life of a vendor in Mbare. Godfrey Tonde, who was 25 years old, fell down while fleeing Municipal police, who fell upon him soon afterwards. It is not clear whether he was dead before they fell upon him or he died as a result of their physical action. All the same, residents in Mbare, a teeming high-density area of the capital of Zimbabwe, took up arms immediately after word spread that Tonde had died.  The residents blocked ...

Harare Municipal Police arrive this morning at the Fourth Street Bus Terminus to do battle yet again with forex dealers, vendors and touts. Once of them can be seen clearly carrying goods that have been confiscated from a vendor. The police are now maintaining a permanent presence at Roadport, with riot police parked two streets away. Harare, Zimbabwe, 6 November 2009 Early this morning, the Harare Municipal Police who fought running battles with vendors and black market foreign currency dealers at Fourth Street Bus Terminus (also known as Roadport) were back. They immediately started work, carrying off any wares they could lay their hands on as people ran away, some afraid of being caught in the crossfire and others abandoning their "duty stations". The police had driven straight into the rank itself where workers were coming off their minibuses and going to work. I chatted later on with some of the Municipal Police, who are vowing revenge and saying they will not let go of ...