Zimbabwe army gives vendors ultimatum

THE country's security chiefs yesterday ordered street vendors operating at undesignated sites in all urban areas to vacate by Monday next week or face unspecified action.

According to Newsday, the local Government minister Ignatius Chombo and commander of the Presidential Guard Brigadier-General Anselem Sanyatwe told journalists in Harare the security forces would come hard on those resisting the order.

Sanyatwe said the security forces had decided to intervene and restore order in urban areas, especially Harare, after vendors had invaded all open spaces in the city centre.

Harare Provincial Affairs minister Miriam Chikukwa, who chairs the Joint Operations Command (JOC) in Harare, repeated the warning to vendors.

Chombo said the deadline applied to all vendors in other urban areas throughout the country.