Vendors sjambok Harare Municipality officers
TWO Harare municipal police officers were last week hospitalised at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals after they were attacked with wooden sticks and sjamboks by vendors in the central business district.
The vendors Kelvin Chikono (40) and Dereck Nyeke (33) were arraigned before Harare magistrate Ethel Chichera at the weekend charged with public violence.
They were remanded in custody and are set to make bail applications today.
According to the State, on May 31 the accused persons together with others, who are still at large, were selling different products along Cameroon Street.
They saw a group of Municipal Police officers and Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers arresting illegal vendors and confiscating their wares.
They allegedly took their stuff and dispersed.
The court heard that after about five minutes, the accused persons and other vendors organised themselves into three groups and became confrontational towards the police officers.
They viciously attacked the municipal officers using wooden sticks and sjamboks, and left three of them seriously injured.
ZRP officers managed to arrest the two accused persons, but the other suspects fled.