17 Harare City workers arrested for slashing residents’ maize file pic

The group was arrested while slashing grass near a ser-vice station in Kuwadzana 2 yesterday.

Harare provincial police spokesperson Inspector James Sabau confirmed the arrests, saying the accused were expected to appear in court today.

“Their arrest follows reports made by 10 complainants over the slashing of their maize and the suspects are expected to appear in court facing malicious damage to property charges,” he said.
He said following the reports that were made, police carried out investigations leading to the arrest of the suspects. They are Leonard Mutema (35), Zebron Savanhu (40), Nelson Matarirano (29), Grace Dube (50), Felix Chihoho (60), Ruvarashe Mavesere (23), Theophelus Mbudza (20), Lenos Nyamanga (32), Jane Mugede (53), Loreen Munhuwi (29), Elizabeth Mhlanga (48), Catherine Tafireyi (26), Blessed Magaya (20), Phillip Mureriwa (40), Patricia Makado, Innocent Mugandani (40) and Clara Mutesa (28).
They were yesterday still detained at Kuwadzana Police Station as investigations continued.

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Last week, police dismissed as false and malicious some media reports that they had instructed Harare City Council employees to slash maize in and around the city.
The police statement followed claims by some councillors that the instruction to “destroy maize was believed to have come from the police in order to taint the image of the MDC-T council”.
Said Insp Sabau: “We did not give them an instruction and since when did the City Council get instructions from us?”

Insp Sabau said while they were concerned with crimes that occurred in maize fields, they were also concerned with the people’s welfare.
“While we are concerned with the various crimes being committed in these fields such as plain robberies, murder and rape, we always engage stakeholders and members of the public through awareness campaigns, teaching them the dangers of passing through such places during odd hours.”

Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo said the inhuman and appalling act perpetrated by council had provoked the ire of residents and ratepayers of Harare.
“As minister responsible for Local Government, I share the sense of revulsion expressed by the community and ca-nnot be reduced to an observer while the rights of innocent people are being trampled upon with reckless abandon,” he said in a statement.

He said urban agriculture was a noble pro-poor strategy, which sought to empower the less fortunate urban members of the society.
Minister Chombo said local authorities had all along been partners in this strategy.
“It therefore, stands to reason that local authorities would have put in place the necessary monitoring and control mea-sures, in consultation with urban farmers, ahead of the land tillage. I am at pains to accept the flimsy excuses advanced for slashing maize at tassling stage on grounds of security,” Minister Chombo said.    
He said tall grasses in the same areas posed a far greater security threat to the public than maize fields.

Minister Chombo said increased council police patrols in such areas would yield more effective results than the maize slashing “frenzy” adopted by council.
“This Harare tragedy could well be happening elsewhere. With immediate effect, I therefore direct all local authorities to desist from slashing maize fields countrywide,” Minister Chombo said.
Last week, Harare City Council management and councillors were reportedly on a collision course over the recent slashing of maize in Kuwadzana with some councillors pressing for disciplinary action against a Mr Mutisi for sanctioning the slashing without council approval.-The Herald

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