Zimbabwe army backs off

DEFENCE minister Sydney Sekeramayi yesterday ruled out the involvement of the army in driving out illegal vendors operating in the central business districts of Harare and Bulawayo, in a strange twist to the emotive issue.

Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo, Harare Provincial Affairs minister Miriam Chikukwa and Presidential Guard commander Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwa on Monday gave vendors a seven-day ultimatum to relocate to designated sites.

The trio said they were speaking on behalf of the Joint Operations Command (Joc) in Harare and warned of dire consequences if the vendors did not leave the undesignated sites by Monday.

Joc consists of the army, Central Intelligence Organisation and the police.

The defiant vendors said they were also giving the army seven days to create jobs, setting the stage for a violent confrontation.

Sekeramayi told journalists on the sidelines of a campaign rally for Zanu-PF's June 10 by-election candidate for Kuwadzana, Betty Nhambu Kaseke, in Harare that the army had no business interfering in civilian affairs.

Sekeramayi said if Chombo and Nyoni, with the aid of the local authorities, failed to drive out the hawkers who have flooded street pavements blocking the smooth flow of traffic, they should instead seek help from the police and not the army if it wanted to enforce council by-laws.