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Soldiers assault illegal cash traders
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights)
November 28, 2008

It is reported that there was pandemonium in the city yesterday evening (Thursday 27 November 2008) when a number of unwary foreign currency traders were assaulted by groups of soldiers that raided the busy Harare streets where these cash traders frequent.

An eyewitnesses reported that foreign currency traders who are usually found in large numbers around Ximex Mall opposite the main post office, and around the Road Port area, were surprised when hordes of soldiers just arrived and began to assault anyone in the vicinity accusing them of working with powerful politicians to starve conventional banks of much needed cash which they traded on the streets. One witness said that the soldiers were stating that they aimed to kill off the foreign currency black market because the foreign currency traders were the ones responsible for the shortages of cash in the banks. He said that the soldiers wanted to know where the people got their $1 million bills when no one was allowed to withdraw any amount exceeding $500 000 per day.

The soldiers were said to have also assaulted some police officers who attempted to rescue some individuals who were being assaulted by the members of the army. The soldiers reportedly got very angry and threatened the police with similar punishment, accusing them of not doing their work of ridding the streets of undesirable individuals such as the money changers, among others.

The witness reported that heavily-armed riot police had to be called to deal with the soldiers before things got out of hand. However, this was not before a few unlucky traders had been injured in the melee.

ZimRights has previously queried about the source of money that the foreign currency traders carry each day. In fact many people no longer bother to transact through the banks because the maximum withdrawal limit which is nothing more than a mockery. However, what we find strange in this case is how the army could be called in to deal with such an issue when the police should be at hand to bring sanity where this is needed. This is one of the many government institutions that have been so corrupted to the extent that they now act with impunity without fear of any censure from anyone. For a country facing a crisis of the magnitude Zimbabwe is facing, it would be very dangerous to have soldiers freely roaming around and meting their kind of jungle justice to civilians. We urge the authorities to limit the soldiers to their barracks.

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