Lloyd Gumbo Herald Reporter
ZANU-PF will investigate if there are some of its members who took part in the shooting of a municipal policeman while demolishing illegal car sales.
Harare provincial party spokesperson Cde Claudius Mutero said at the weekend that any member who would be implicated would face disciplinary action.

This comes at a time when Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo has said council has a right to demolish illegal structures.
Some sections of the media claimed that some Zanu-PF officials took part in the disturbances that saw one assailant firing gunshots at municipal police.

“We are a law-abiding party and we are going to investigate and if we find that there were some party people involved in the disturbances, they will be disciplined,” Cde Mutero said.

“We don’t want anyone to put the name of the party into disrepute. As a party, we encourage our people not to violate the law.

“We know some people want to claim that it was our party members who did it, but we don’t have such people in our party.”
He said one Mrs Midzi, who was implicated in the fracas with municipal police, was not related to Zanu-PF chairman for Harare Province, Cde Amos Midzi.

He said media reports insinuated that she was Cde Midzi’s wife.
Cde Mutero said there was need for council to create space for car sales.
He said most people had demonstrated that they needed space for the structures.

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• Gunman shoots at city police

Minister Chombo last Friday said: “The law is very clear. You can’t unilaterally give yourself place to operate from.
“One has to obtain written authority and the city will have to approve the kind of structures to be erected and those people will also have to pay rentals to the city.

“No one is allowed to take space without authority, whether for car sales, flowers, bricks or clothes, that is illegal.
“Local authorities are obligated to create specific areas meant to be allocated and if somebody gives themselves land illegally, the city should obtain relevant legal documentation to demolish the structures.”

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Minister Chombo however, said council should liaise with owners of the illegal structures so that they find common ground.

Council, he said, could also regularise some of the illegal structures where possible.
Harare City Council embarked on a clean up campaign in the past two weeks, which involved demolishing illegal car sales that were sprouting in the city.