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Herald Reporter —
SOME vendors have taken the Harare City Council to the Civil Court after municipal cops raided and confiscated their wares which they never returned upon demand. The wares were valued at $3 460.
Tawanda Maziya, Lovemore Chitongo and Taurai Dzambi issued summons to council on Friday last week. Maziya is demanding $1 500, Chitongo $1 090 and Dzambi $870 in compensation from council.
Their goods were confiscated on January 24 during routine raids by council. The trio was arrested and taken to the municipal police headquarters where their wares were recorded.
They were told to return on February 10 for collection. However, on the said date, the goods were not released resulting in the vendors seeking legal action. In a lawsuit filed by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights dated June 9, the trio cited Chief Superintendent Mawoyo and City of Harare Municipality (represented by the Acting Town Clerk) as the first and second defendants.
The wares included shoes and shirts. The vendors argue that the city’s failure to release their wares violated their rights.
“The continued failure by the defendants to release the plantiff’s confiscated goods violates Section 11 (2) of the Harare (Vendors) By-laws, 2014 which provides that confiscated goods be returned to their owners upon payment of the required fine; as well as his constitutional rights to equality and non-discrimination (section 56), right to privacy (section 57), right to administrative justice (section 68) and right to property (section 71).
“As a result of the defendant’s wrongful conduct, the plaintiff suffered damages.”
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