Informal traders in Glen View, Harare, fought running battles with riot police as the authorities pressed ahead with their clean-up campaign by destroying illegal structures.

Property worth millions of dollars was destroyed during the pandemonium with some incensed informal traders blocking traffic with barricades along Willowvale Road in Glen View in protest against the campaign.

The violence erupted after law enforcement agents torched illegal structures used by informal traders for furniture making at Glen View 8.

Billowing smoke from the burning structures could be seen from as far away as the city centre.

In retaliation, some of the informal traders started throwing stones at the police.

In the melee, some unruly elements broke into the Glen View District Office and OK Express supermarket at Tichagarika Shopping Centre while in Budiriro some buildings and several shops were also damaged.

The mob then looted goods from the supermarket and shops.

A beerhall at Glen View 8 was also not spared the damage. A Zupco bus plying the route also suffered damage and several private vehicles were stoned.

One police officer had to take refuge in a cabin at a nearby house after being chased by the mob that was baying for his blood.

Some people in the chasing mob could be heard shouting: "Naye! Naye! (Get him! Get him!)".

Police had to call for reinforcements to calm the situation.

The area was cordoned off with some of the hooligans stoning any vehicle that attempted to pass through.

It appeared the hooligans were enjoying the running battles with the police, which lasted for more than an hour, because of the smoke that made it difficult for the police to effectively deal with the unruly crowd.

However, Officer Commanding Harare Province Senior Assistant Commissioner Edmore Veterai said the police would continue with their operation and that they would not hesitate to uphold the law.

"We would also want to warn the public that police will use minimum force which is appropriate with the situation," he said.

He said it was also a serious offence to attack police while they were carrying out their duties.

"We understand that there are some youths who are being agitated to resist the clean-up campaign, but we will deal with them in accordance with the law. Lawlessness cannot be allowed," he said.

Snr Asst Comm Veterai said police had deployed more forces last night to deal with the situation in Glen View.

Some of the informal traders interviewed said they had not been given enough time to pull down their structures and take away their furniture for safe and secure storage.

"We did not refuse to remove our structures, but we were not given adequate time to remove our things. Now I don't know what to do because my furniture worth millions of dollars has gone up in smoke," said one of them.

The area where the illegal structures were torched was popularly known as "Pamarobots".

Harare City Council spokesman Mr Leslie Gwindi said all illegal structures had to be pulled down.

"All we are saying is that we want all the illegal structures to be removed. And we will not look for other places for them because how did they come to be where they are staying now? Were they legally settled or not? That is a multi-million dollar question one should ask himself or herself," Mr Gwindi said.

As the clean-up campaign intensified in Harare, informal traders in Glen View and Glen Norah, mostly carpenters and tuck-shop owners, yesterday pulled down their structures to beat the deadline.

The informal traders, who had until yesterday to clean up, started dismantling the structures after two truckloads of riot police had driven through the area.

A spokesperson for the carpenters, who operate near the intersection of Willowvale Road and Glen View Way, Mr Enock Mangezi, said they fully supported the exercise and were willing to relocate to a suitable site.

"It is a pity that things have to work this way, but most of us are willing to move to any place allocated for this type of business," he said.

On Tuesday, Mr Mangezi led a delegation that went to see the Glen View district officer to map the way forward since the carpenters had been paying $32 000 monthly rentals to that office.

"There were five of us who went to meet the district officer, but he told us that his superiors at Town House had warned him not to entertain us.

"We then went to see Harare Commission chairperson Councillor Sekesayi Mwakwavarara who told us to remove our structures saying there was no turning back on 'Operation Murambatsvina'.

"When we asked for some time to wind up our business, she told us that we would risk being forced out if we did not remove our things," said Mr Mangezi.

The Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Cde Sithembiso Nyoni, toured the area about two months ago and advised the traders to organise themselves into groups and raise about $6 million each which would be used to buy and service some stands.

"We were due to meet this weekend to discuss the issue," said Mr Mangezi, adding that it was now difficult to do so since everyone was busy saving whatever they had for the future.

The Glen View informal industry had more than 400 traders most of whom employed not less than five workers.

Mr Aleck Muchineripi, whom The Herald found dismantling the shack that had been his workshop for the past five years, said that his livelihood had been destroyed.

"I am taking my things home and will have to stop making anything until we have been allocated places to operate from as promised by the city council," said Mr Muchineripi.

Another carpenter, Mr Jabulani Makore, said he had been looking after a family of six from the earnings of his trade.

"Right now we have still not been told where to go. I will have to see if we can have the tuck shop we have at home legalised and hopefully operate from there," said Mr Makore.

Most of the carpenters who spoke to The Herald said they had sealed orders for furniture and some customers had paid deposits.

"There are over 12 sets of sofas which just needed finishing touches, but I am not able to work on them since everyone is removing the workshops.

"Maybe I will try to find space at home industries somewhere, but it will not be the same," said Mr Christopher Bengure, who welcomed the removal of the shacks but called on the Government and council to find them alternative site quickly.

"I believe a lot of criminals might have been using these workshop to waylay people at night while some have been using them as toilets," he said.

	Copyright © 2005 The Herald. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).