(CHRA) in Kuwadzana, said the
soldiers beat up vendors and innocent civilians, forcing them to walk to the
Heroes celebrations at the Heroes Acre. The soldiers confiscated vegetables
and other food items as the vendors fled for safety. Kuudzehwe said the
primary reason was to increase numbers at the ceremony to make it look crowded
on television and score a propaganda victory for the regime. She said many
lost their valuable goods and business for the day.
Precious Shumba, spokesperson for CHRA said the soldiers descended on
the area around 10:00 A.M. Monday, took a lunch break and returned again in
the afternoon. But targeting vendors takes away their only option to make a
living. It is not clear why they are targeting Kuwadzana, but they
attacked vendors there last week as well, in a move seen to be linked to the
price control exercise.
The holiday is meant to commemorate the liberation war that led to
independence in 1980. But what is usually a happy time for Zimbabweans
has been marred for the last few years by critical shortages of goods and
services in the country. Shumba said this year was the worst so far. He
spoke to people who said they had been stranded for days in Mbare. Many
travellers told him they had not been able to find groceries to bring
their
relatives.
Over the weekend thousands of commuters around the country found
themselves stranded due to serious fuel shortages. Privately owned buses stopped
operating weeks ago after government ordered a 50% price-cut on travel
fares. Bus terminals were crowded with many people waiting hours for
transport. Riot police were called to the Mbare terminus in Harare
Saturday to stop passengers fighting to board the buses. The state controlled
Sunday Mail reported that 51 bus drivers were arrested on Saturday for
overcharging. A police spokesman said they have been forced to pay
Z$40,000 fines. The report also said some commuters were unwilling to
incriminate their bus drivers, and refused to disclose what they had been charged.
Even the more affluent are being affected by the latest crisis and
those who attended a cricket match between Zimbabwe and South Africa at the
Harare Sports Club found there were no beers, no bread rolls no meat for
burgers. The government over the weekend made a u-turn on its ban on private
slaughter houses, reinstating licenses of some private abattoirs.
The regime has gone on a major international publicity stunt lately,
claiming the problems we face are due to sanctions imposed by ‘western
imperial powers’ and the UK. But the only sanctions that exist are
targeted sanctions that ban Robert Mugabe and his closest allies from travelling
abroad. Their personal assets have also been frozen. Economic experts
blame the current crisis on the price blitz initiated by government 6 weeks
ago.
Panic buying and massive looting by authorities left shelves empty and
created shortages as most retailers just cannot afford to reorder
supplies that they then have to sell at a loss. – SW Radio Africa
Post published in: News