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Leroy Dzenga Features Writer
Apick-up truck headed southwards slows down as it approaches Julius Nyerere Way and Jason Moyo Avenue traffic lights. The maddening rush hour traffic in Harare’s Central Business District (CBD) is confusing to both pedestrians and motorists and one has to be extremely cautious. Around the Joina City area, a veritable sea of human and vehicular traffic blocks the truck from proceeding. Like hundreds of other motorists waiting for their turn, the truck driver has to patiently wait.
Two shabbily dressed men in their early twenties approach the car, quite a normal sight as pedestrians navigate the automobile maze to cross roads during rush hour.
The duo stops as they get closer to the car, one reaches for a small box at the back and they both flee. Noticing that they have been robbed, the female driver and her passenger hastily jump out.
They are no match for the two street dwellers who have already disappeared in the crowded streets leaving the two women counting their losses.
The incident is just one of many that have rocked Harare in recent times as street kids and adults have been terrorising motorists and pedestrians alike.
Walking in Harare’s CBD is fast becoming a risky undertaking with the prospect of losing belongings.
There have been multiple reports of people who have had their valuables stolen from them in broad daylight by the street kids.
Ms Lynette Marumba of Kuwadzana 7 recalls the day she had an unpleasant encounter with street kids at Copacabana rank on her way home.
“Three weeks ago, I finished work around 6pm and decided to buy a few supplies in a supermarket since I had finished work earlier than usual. I walked to Copacabana where I get my transport home,” she said.
As there were no kombis in sight she had to wait with other commuters.
“As I waited for the kombi two young boys came towards me and one of them grabbed the plastic bag I was holding,” Ms Marumba said.
She tried in vain to keep the attackers at bay.
“One of them started pulling my satchel as well and I had to let go of the plastic bag to save my satchel which contained my laptop and books. They ran away with my plastic bag and the groceries I had bought,” she said.
In the midst of all the mayhem, what surprised her is that no one came to her rescue.
“While all this happened in a short space of time, less than a minute, I was hurt that there were so many people at the rank but none of them assisted me,” she said, grateful that the duo did not harm her.
Since her ordeal, she has been terrified of walking in the city centre.
There are many others with similar horror stories at the hands of street kids.
In the CBD, there are places which have become a haven for these homeless kids.
One is the Harare Gardens entrance close to the National Art Gallery. Here, a group of street dwellers have turned the gazebos into their “fortress”.
They spend days sitting by the entrance and consuming an illicit brew known as “musombodhiya” in street lingo.
It seems they have changed their intoxicants of choice from glue to the cheap transparent liquor.
Women who use the route are subjected to catcalls when they pass through.
Another problem area is the footbridge area near Town House where small children pester pedestrians for cash or food handouts.
A vendor identified as Manu who sells shoes in the mall nearby said these children are sometimes used as pawns by their older peers.
“These children usually target young women or couples with their demands. If they refuse they may hold on to a person’s leg while reaching for his pocket,” he said.
Sometimes these children are used to provoke unsuspecting individuals.
“If you are unlucky, there is a group of grown-up goons who send small children to annoy you. If you respond angrily they will attack you for allegedly mistreating their sibling,” Manu said describing how people are being robbed on the streets.
He added that one would be extremely lucky to escape the mayhem with their possessions intact.
“During rush hour, some of those guys accost pedestrians with very expensive phones which they are selling at ridiculously low prices. It’s obvious that they would be trying to dispose of their stolen loot,” Manu said.
He said he had seen some of the street urchins being beaten to a pulp when caught in the act of stealing, as rarely do the victims take them to the police. They become victims of mob justice.
“My heart sinks when I look at children around the age of eight risking their lives begging in the middle of the road. When they get the money, the older guys collect it and use it to buy drugs. After they declare their pickings, the children have to scrounge for food. It’s sad really,” he said.
Then there are those street kids who double as touts at the corner of Jason Moyo Avenue and Julius Nyerere Way who are harrassing both pedestrians and motorists.
Motorists with open trucks often see people jumping into the loading trays of their vehicles while the vehicle is still in motion.
Some have had their windows in smash and grab robberies. Women drivers are the prime targets.
Pedestrians are not spared of the disturbances.
A mobile phone trader at ZimPost Main Post Office said that the street kids and touts are making their business difficult.
“We try to get people to buy our phones as they walk from their respective workplaces. Now prospective customers avoid this area because of the stories they have heard of street kids who harass people,” he said.
It seems some have been devising methods to hypnotise the unsuspecting public.
He added: “Some of these street kids are well dressed you can actually mistake them for some of the dealers here. When you entertain them they will snatch your belongings and run.
Subtle elements have also been added to their misdemeanours.
“One may just bump into you to force you to drop whatever you are carrying. The moment you focus on picking them up, they empty your pockets,” he said.
Some of the notorious street kids are also found near OK Kwame Nkrumah Avenue where they harass pedestrians.
“The street kids sit a few metres from OK and target customers coming out of the supermarket. Some ask for small change while othrs ask for food and snatch your groceries if you refuse,” said Miss Sarah Moyo of Dzivarasekwa 3.
The crime rate figures have coincidentally risen with the ever burgeoning population of street kids.
At the ZRP Harare belated end of year party, Police Deputy Commissioner- General (Operations) Innocent Matibiri availed statistics that spoke to this effect.
“The province recorded increases in armed robberies, theft from vehicles, assault and theft cases went up from 9 to 18 percent,” he said.
Members of the public were urged to report cases of crime to help the police clamp down on crime.
Ironically, street kids have also found a home behind the First Street police base.
They huddle by a bonfire after hours and their proximity to law enforcement agents does not deter them from harassing people who dare pass through their sanctuary after sunset.
From those who forcibly ask for handouts, to catcalling women this group qualifies to be the most trolling and rowdy of them all.
The poor lighting on that part of George Silundika does not help the situation either.
A head count by The Herald when it visited the area showed 17 street kids who were lying on the pavement in front of a clothing shop.
The extent of rowdiness by street kids was demonstrated when urban grooves artiste Trevor Dongo was physically humiliated in a video that went viral on social media.
When he was explaining the events leading up to the confrontation he said the street kids at Fife Avenue Shopping Centre wanted to grab the groceries he was carrying as he walked with his female companion.
This has been the case for most Harare residents, let alone visitors, who have had horrible experiences with uncouth street kids.
It seems street kids have been a thorn in the flesh but they are a reality no one can wish away.
Their continued existence, however, should be enough to encourage residents to exercise due care when going about their business in the city centre and surrounding areas.
Online Reporter