Police in Zimbabwe Arrest 9,000 Traders

Police in Zimbabwe arrest 9,000 traders

Street battles after stalls smashed and goods seized

Andrew Meldrum in Pretoria
Tuesday May 24, 2005
The Guardian

Zimbabwean police have prompted angry protests by arresting more than 9,600 street vendors and flea-market traders.

Police beat traders and stallholders in the capital, Harare, smashed soapbox stalls and destroyed or seized goods for sale. The capital's jail cells are said to be jammed with small traders trying to eke out a living in the collapsing economy.

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"The police are rough and they are beating vendors in the streets. It is frightening," said one Harare factory worker. "Now you can't even buy a banana on the street for lunch. People are furious but the police drive by in big lorries and they are ready to hit anybody."

The crackdown on the traders, who were a colourful presence across the capital, has added to the climate of crisis. Citizens roam around shops looking for the staple maize meal, sugar, cooking oil and other basic foods.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/zimbabwe/article/0,2763,1490776,00.html