Shongedzai Mugwagwa

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) has come out guns blazing attacking the MDC run Harare City Council (HCC) leadership over its continued running battles with the vendors in the Central Business District (CBD), the Harare Post can report.

ZCTU posted on their twitter account that the HCC’s continued running battles with the vendors is a display of misplaced priorities.

“cohsunshinecity must stop brutalising informal economy workers (vendors). There must be a collective and sensitive way forward. The money being spent chasing and beating vendors daily must be used to other urgent priorities like water treatment,” said ZCTU.

This is the second such attack on the Council by the workers body with the first scathing attack which was launched on Workers Day commemorations in Dzivarasekwa, where the ZCTU President Peter Mutasa urged HCC to urgently address the issue of water shortages affecting Harare and surrounding areas and desist from misdirecting funds.

“Allow me to recognise the presence of HCC Mayor Gomba who is among us. With due respect Mayor, we want you to know that there is no water in Harare. People are relying on borehole water which is not very safe.

“May you also please re-assign those people you instructed to chase away our vendors in town who are trying to make ends meet? You can re-reassign them to pick up litter or other cleaning duties. You must find alternative selling places first before chasing them,” he said.

HCC and other MDC led urban councils have constantly been lambasted by residents for failing to deliver the required core services to rate payers.

Most suburbs in Harare have gone for months without running water, raising fears of water borne diseases like typhoid and cholera.

Econet through their transport department, Vaya, has dispatched trucks to collect refuse in various suburbs around the city in a bid to try to sanitise and bring back the sunshine status of Harare.