The Sunday News
Peter Matika, Senior Reporter
BUSINESS was brought to a temporary halt outside the Bulawayo magistrates’ courts, housed at Tredgold Building today, when plain clothes Bulawayo City Council officers clashed with the public, among them illegal cash dealers, touts and vendors over the conduct of the council officers.
The forex dealers, touts and vendors threatened to unleash violence on the council officers, whom they accused of attacking a motorist, who had dropped off a passenger at the corner of Herbert Chitepo St and Leopold Takawira Avenue.
“Yes the driver did something illegal but they had no right to jump into his car and strangle him like that. What if they kill him? How could four men just get into a car without identifying themselves, wrestle and strangle a man like that. They are unprofessional, this is a peaceful country and we can’t as citizens sit idle and watch our people’s rights being violated like this,” said a tout.
Like a swarm of bees, a mob gathered around the vehicle blocking council officers from towing the vehicle, which they had clamped.
The drama, which lasted well over 30 minutes, came to a climax, after council officers succumbed to the pressure of the public to release the vehicle and ticketed the motorist for carelessness.
@peterkmatika
