A Slap on the Wrist, a Blow to Justice: Harare Vendor Assault Case Reflects Bigger Issues

By Staff Reporter

The recent guilty verdict for Harare City Council workers Peter Muwonde and Tapiwa Bere over their assault charges against vendor Shepherd Mavhiza should have acted as an alarm. Rather, it is the latest addition to the lengthy record of atrocities experienced by Harare’s street traders. Though the guilty verdict itself is a rare, if welcome, moment of accountability, the meager $200 fine against each of the perpetrators is a hollow gesture, a slap on the wrist for a brutal act of violence.

Let’s call it what it was: what Bere and Muwonde did was not an abuse of power. It was an act of brutality. Mavhiza, terrified of the all-too-familiar bullying by council officials, ran away – a response to thousands of such acts. He was subsequently tracked down, beaten up, and bundled into a car like a regular thug. The details, the open hands, the fists, the baton stick, are a dismal picture of untrammeled power and insensitive disregard for human dignity.

The penalty, a paltry $200, diminishes the seriousness of the offense. It is a negative signal that to assail vulnerable citizens does not count. It is no inhibiter against repeat crimes and leaves Mavhiza, and many more like him, in no way secure.

This is not an isolated incident. It is one of several signs of a greater issue: the endemic misuse of power in the Harare City Council and the brutally routine intimidation of informal traders. These traders, trying to make a living during the economic crisis, are harassed routinely, arbitrarily have their goods taken from them, and are physically assaulted. They are treated not as fellow citizens who help the city’s economy but as vermin to be eliminated.

Shepherd Mavhiza’s matter requires more than punitive symbolism. It requires in-depth investigation into Harare City Council’s violence culture. It requires an assurance of reeducation of council workers on how to treat vendors with dignity, conformity with the rule of law and respect for human rights. It requires an available and transparent complaining procedure for abuse victims.

Moreover, it must solve the underlying causes of the vendor issue. The city must adopt a humane and long-term strategy of mainstreaming the informal vendors, like giving them some spaces and law to operate. Prohibiting them and treating them with violence is not a solution; it is a recipe for social uprisings and more injustice.

This incident should be understood in the general context of Harare City Council’s relations with the city’s informal economy. The frequency of such incidents indicates there must be a systemic problem, which could show a culture of impunity among the council workers. It emphasizes the need for comprehensive reforms like:
* Improved Training: Compelling and rigorous training programs for council staff, focusing on de-escalation, respect for human rights, and compliance with the law.
* Independent Supervision: Creating an independent agency for handling abuse complaints lodged against council employees to ensure transparency and impartiality.
* Policy Review: A critical review of current council policies regarding the regulation of informal trading, aimed at ensuring a harmonious and mutually respectful council-vendor relationship.
* Just Proportionality: Sentencing guidelines review so that penalties handed out to violence perpetrated by city officials are harsh enough and serve as an effective deterrent.

Shepherd Mavhiza’s assault is a sad reminder that justice is not blind but biased in the direction of the most powerless. The $200 fines are a testament to it. Only when we sort out the structural flaws that permit such abuses can we hope that the cries of “Kanzuru!” will not be those that instill fear and terror, but those that command respect and order.