Zvorwadza is back, threatens protests against council

Vendors threaten protests against municipal police

NATIONAL Vendors Union Zimbabwe (NAVUZ) Chairperson Stanley Zvorwadza has threatened to hold a protest at the Town House of Harare against a municipal officer called Bhuru for alleged corruption and abuse of vendors.

Zvorwadza, who was popular during 2016 for his multiple arrests while representing vendors, has resurfaced and is now calling for restoration of order within the city operations.

“We want to do avery quick protest at the Town House maybe in a week or 2 with a very small group of people. We no longer want municipal police officer called Bhuru (he drives the municipal truck),” he said.

The municipal officer only identified as Bhuru allegedly drives the municipal truck and in the discharge of his duties he beats vendors and takes away all the things that vendors will be selling.

“We want him off the streets, he beats vendors confisticates their wares so we want to do a protest specific for Bhuru,” he said.

Protests lately have not been allowed, in the event that they suceed, the Zimbabwe Republic Police have been on standby to quash them.

On March 31, the group of protestors calling for the President Emmerson Mnangagwa to respect his two terms that are stated in the constitution were rounded up and arrested that the Intersection of Rotten Row and Robert Mugabe.

But, Zvorwadza says vendors are not political actors and their protest is likely to get a greenlight.

 “The beauty about us vendors , we believe that we are non partisan and our right to protest can never be obstructed and can never be refused because we are dealing here with economic bread and butter issues,” he said.

“So tikati tikuda kuprotestor isusu tinongodzokera kuconstitution yenyika toti section 59 inotetendera kuprotester we will protest peacefully,” he said.

If the police interfere and disrupt this protest they are allowing corruption by Bhuru and other municipal officers to continue added Zvorwadza.

“If the ZRP comes to disperse us as we do this protest then it means they are complicit in the corruption that is being perpetuated by municipal officers. Because all we want is for this rotten element to be removed from the system,” he said.

He says that their only mission is at Town House is to have bad apples removed from the force by the City Mayor.

“ Our mission at Town House is to have this man Bhuru removed from office. He is a corrupt man at the highest level and beating people and what shocks me is that the Mayor of Harare retains such characters in his force. To the mayor of Harare this message is clear, get this rogue element off the streets,” he said.

Zvorwadza says he will lead the protest because he is not afraid of anything.

“This protest is coming very soon with a very small group of people and this protest will be led by me and when I lead a protest, I am not afraid of anything, those that know me know that I am not afraid of anything even button sticks, because when bullets in the liberation struggle were fired, we heard them,” he added.