Harare mayor reads riot act

HARARE City Council will soon embark on human rights refresher courses for its municipal police following rampant cases of violence against vendors and taxi operators.

This was revealed by Harare mayor Jacob Mafume, while addressing municipal police in the capital at Rufaro Stadium on Thursday.

The Harare Municipal Police is under fire for perpetrating violence against vendors and pirate taxi drivers in Harare's central business district.

This comes on the backdrop of videos circulating on various social media platforms where elements in the municipal police are allegedly spotted ruthlessly assaulting touts, a taxi driver and a female vendor on separate occasions.

Mafume said the municipal police should be sensitive to human rights.

"We know vendors are looking for ways of survival. As municipal police we must be firm and at the same time fair, yes, the law must be complied [with]," Mafume said.

He added: "We are going to do refresher courses on human rights, we are going to do an investigation on the issue, and we are going to the bottom of it and clear our reputation."

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission has said acts of violence committed by municipal police are in violation of human rights and those responsible must be brought to book through litigation.