Harare — VENDORS returned to the city centre in droves on Wednesday following a sit-in by municipal police protesting against management "indifference" towards their colleague who was arrested on allegations of killing a vendor last week.

But sources said the police were refusing to work in protest over a decision to rotate them from their usual duties over allegations of corruption.

Vendors have always complained of harassment and confiscation of their wares for personal use by some rogue municipal police. In some instances the police have demanded bribes to let go illegal vendors.

City spokesman Mr Leslie Gwindi confirmed that municipal police who were assigned to patrol duties were being reassigned to guard duties.

"The group that operated in the CBD and Mbare is being re-assigned to other duties. They would be guarding council installations," he said.

Asked to comment on the influx of street vendors in the CBD, Mr Gwindi called for public support to assist the city "tame the jungle".

"This is what council has always insisted time and again that we need moral, civil and ZRP support to carry our responsibility as council to institute law and order," he said.

Mr Gwindi said the municipal police was misrepresenting facts by alleging that management did not sympathise with them.

"Today the city legal department caused the application for bail for Zharare," he said.

As the municipal police impasse entered its second day it emerged yesterday that a power struggle was brewing between the director of public safety Mrs Christina Fundira and senior male police.

Female police have formed a women roundtable in solidarity with Mrs Fundira who they feel is being undermined because she is a woman.

Sources who attended the meeting said it was impressed upon the female police that their male counterparts were out to rid the department of its first woman head. Mrs Fundira, it is alleged, impressed on the female officers to rally behind her, as she would ensure their promotion.

Elsewhere virtually all major supermarkets' fronts and banks were literally invaded by the vendors, as the municipal police recorded their no-show for the second day running.

Last week the city's streets had been cleared of illegal activities allowing city shoppers to move freely on the pavements.

But yesterday the situation had completely changed with vendors prodding passers-by to buy their wares that included mangoes, apples, oranges, vegetables and cellphone recharge cards.

However, sources within the municipal police indicated that trainees had been deployed in suburban areas, in-groups of 15 to maintain law and order.

Senior officers remained camped at the municipal head office despite frantic efforts by management to address issues.

On Tuesday Mr Gwindi denied that the city police were on strike, saying council was in the process of re-organising its force.

The officer at the centre of the job action, Anos Zharare (25), has since appeared in court facing murder charges and was remanded in custody to November 30.

He was advised to apply for bail at the High Court since the lower court has no jurisdiction over such serious cases as murder.