adminMUKUVISI River banks in Harare are known for harbouring criminals, prostitutes and the homeless.
A hotbed for crime, prostitution and drug addicts, the area poses a threat to residents in surrounding communities.
And, being surrounded by criminals on the loose, residents have every reason to live in fear as their safety is at stake.
Sunningdale, Waterfalls, Houghton Park and St Martins residents are the worst affected people.
Smash-and-grab thieves and notorious street kids targeting women have been using the river banks as an escape route once they hit a target.
City residents, crossing to and from work on foot, have also been on the receiving end.
Some of the daring thieves staying on the banks of Mukuvisi River are on the police wanted list.
Drug peddlers and addicts are using the area as their bases.
Some drug lords are reportedly stocking their illicit stuff in the area.
Criminal activities, which take place in the area, need urgent attention, as the residents’ safety matters the most.
On April 21, we ran a touching story involving Houghton Park residents who complained over thieves and drug addicts residing along Mukuvisi River banks.
The residents also complained that self-styled prophets and members of the Manjuzu cult were also camping in every open space along the river banks.
Their biggest worry is that of robbers who are using Mukuvisi as an escape route after pouncing on residents.
The residents’ call to authorities to flush out these criminals, and drug addicts, comes at a time when President Mnangagwa has been calling for such criminals to be arrested.
What makes this case delicate is that some perpetrators are well known in the area but no action has been taken against them.
The laxity in bringing to book these criminals leaves more questions than answers.
There is a need for an operation to weed out these criminals and vice which has soiled the image of the country. Thorough investigations should be done to end these ills.
Reports that one of the drug addicts was found dead along the Mukuvisi River banks shows that the situation is deteriorating and there is need for urgent action.
The Mukuvisi River bank rot is a clear sign that there is someone who is sleeping on duty as these criminals remain on the loose.
With incessant power cuts, residents’ lives remain at stake as the criminals utilise darkness to hit their targets.
Such practices are also common in other suburbs where drug bases are being established.
The local authorities, who are the main custodians of the City, need to step up and bring sanity.
The police should also step up their job and restore order in such communities.
The monsters who have turned the Mukuvisi River banks into their base for their criminal activities need to be flushed out.
Residents of the city need to feel they are safe and live their lives without fear of being harassed, and even worse, killed by these monsters, many of whom would be high on drugs.
Online Reporter