BCC municipal cops forced to flee after heavy battering by vendors

SOME newly recruited and overzealous Bulawayo City municipal police officers Saturday got more than what they bargained for when they were severely assaulted by angry vendors as they tried to confiscate their merchandise.

The recruits, who graduated on Friday, were forced to abandon their truck, and take to their heels after a mob of the angry vendors pelted them with an assortment of missiles.

Trouble started when the newly minted, youthful cops in their new blue apparel launched a surprise mid-morning raid on the vendors as they were busy soliciting for customers.

The vendors swiftly mobilised and turned the tables on their perennial tormentors.

Newzimbabwe.com witnessed the incident which attracted a large crowd.

One of the municipal police officers was lucky to be saved by members of the public after his colleagues fled in a truck as marauding venders repeatedly pelted him with stones.

They left a Mazda B 18 truck which was rescued shortly before it could be torched.

Vendors who spoke to Newzimbabwe.com said they chased away the council guards because they were rude, overzealous and rough.

"This guards only graduated yesterday but they are already harassing everyone here. They come here and started assaulting everyone and taking people's goods. We have been working very well with the old guards before," one vendor said.

Another vendor Said: "You cannot be overzealous to people who are hungry and have nothing to survive on except to sell goods."

Bulawayo City Council Communication Corporate Manager Nesisa Mpofu could not be reached for comment.