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Whinsley Masara Chronicle Reporter
A VENDOR was rushed to hospital after a Bulawayo municipal police officer, popularly known as omakhokhoba, allegedly throttled her yesterday. The council police officer was reportedly angered when the woman grabbed her wares and fled as the officers carried out a raid on illegal vendors.
Female omakhokhoba allegedly attacked Gertrude — as the vendor is popularly known to her colleagues — along Fort Street around 12 PM.
A witness, Siphiwe Shumba, told The Chronicle that: “The city council truck arrived with more than 15 officers. When Getrude packed up her stuff and tried to flee, one of the females immediately grabbed her on her waist.
“She had lifted her wares, which contained assorted stock including three knives. When she told the officer to be careful because there were knives in her sack, she got mad, threw her onto the ground, sat on top of her and grabbed her by the throat,” said Shumba.
Fellow vendors said they watched from a distance as Gertrude’s eyes bulged and she began to froth from the mouth.
“We also watched helplessly as we were all women vendors until three passersby came to her rescue. The omakhokhoba continued to throttle her until she passed out. Someone called an ambulance,” said a vendor who asked not to be named.
The omakhokhoba, said another vendor, beat a hasty retreat when they thought Gertrude was dead.
“One of the vendors threw Gertrude’s two-year-old son into their truck asking why they were leaving the child after killing his mother. One of the omakhokhoba put the baby on the ground before they drove off,” said Shumba.
Edmore Mangwiro, another vendor, said he joined his seething colleagues to watch as an ambulance took Gertrude to Mpilo Central Hospital.
“She was treated and then told to go for counselling.
“In no time, a small city council van came with police officers from Drill Hall Police Station, where the guard had made a report that Getrude wanted to stab her.
“This shocked us because we can all testify what happened. We know Getrude sells knives and we heard her warn the guard,” said Mangwiro.
He said it was not the first time the municipal police have engaged in fist fights with vendors along Fort Street, between 5th and 4th Avenues.
“Two months ago there was another massive fight, which ended up shifting into a store close by and properties were almost destroyed.
“Unfortunately, no reports were made because police and city council officers make us believe that since we operate illegally, we can’t get support from anyone out there. We think that if we try to report them, we will be arrested,” he said.
In December, a man was hospitalised after he was allegedly beaten up by municipal security guards with rubber truncheons until he lost consciousness after they mistook him for a vendor.
The local authority’s senior public relations officer, Nesisa Mpofu, said she had not received a report about the incident.
She said council would investigate the incident.
“We will continue to remind the informal traders that they should go to their allocated bays to avoid running battles with the municipal security guards,” said Mpofu.
Council in recent months has cracked down on unlicensed vendors who are resisting efforts to relocate to designated selling points.
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