The Zimbabwe Republic Police and City Parking have issued conflicting statements following the death of a Harare father who was fatally struck by a vehicle in the Central Business District, as authorities distance themselves from responsibility for the incident.
Blessing Mangezi (50) died on January 7, 2026, after he was hit by a speeding Nissan Vanette along Robert Mugabe Road while his children remained in their car. The tragedy has sparked public outrage, with questions mounting over enforcement operations in the city centre.
In a statement, ZRP spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi rejected any suggestion that police actions contributed to the incident. He said the police were not conducting operations against public service vehicles or mushikashika in the area at the time. Commissioner Nyathi stated that the victim’s vehicle had allegedly been clamped by City Parking officials under municipal by-laws, adding that claims implicating the police were unfounded. He said investigations were continuing in collaboration with the City of Harare to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death.
City Parking, however, dismissed the police version of events. In its own statement, the company expressed condolences to the bereaved family but firmly denied any involvement. City Parking said there was no outstanding transaction linked to the victim’s vehicle and that it had not been clamped by its enforcement agents at the time of the accident.
The opposing accounts have been further complicated by an eyewitness narrative shared by veteran broadcaster Barney Mpariwa. In a report published a day after the incident, Mpariwa said Mangezi appeared to be frantically looking for a City Parking marshal after his vehicle was clamped. He also described visible police activity nearby, with officers allegedly chasing commuter omnibuses and mushikashika vehicles in the same vicinity.
According to the eyewitness account, a vehicle fleeing the scene struck Mangezi, who reportedly lay injured on the road for close to an hour before help arrived.
As investigations continue, the contradictory statements from law enforcement and parking authorities have intensified public concern over accountability and the conduct of enforcement operations in Harare’s CBD, particularly where civilians’ lives are put at risk.
