By Aldridge Dzvene
HARARE – Harare’s Central Business District remained largely operational on Friday despite social media calls for demonstrations, with businesses opening as usual and commuter transport operating normally, although sporadic moments of panic briefly disrupted activity after groups of people were seen running through parts of the city centre.
From the early hours of the morning, banks, supermarkets, Government offices, fuel stations and informal trading areas were open, while commuter omnibuses maintained their normal routes as thousands of workers reported for duty.
The brief episodes of panic, whose cause could not be independently verified, triggered temporary confusion as some pedestrians ran while others rushed to close shop before normal business quickly resumed.
Several people in the city said they had chosen to continue with their daily routines despite online messages calling for demonstrations.
One commuter said she had initially been concerned after seeing messages circulating on social media but decided to report for work after realising transport services were operating normally.
“I came because life has to continue. When I arrived in town, everything was operating as usual. The running caused a bit of panic, but after a few minutes people continued with their business,” she said.
A grocery trader operating in the city centre said business had been steady throughout the morning despite the uncertainty created by social media speculation.
“Our customers came as usual. For a moment everyone started running because they saw others running, but shortly afterwards people returned and continued trading,” the trader said.
A commuter omnibus conductor echoed similar sentiments, saying passenger numbers remained largely consistent with an ordinary working day.
“People were travelling to work from early morning. We only noticed temporary panic when people suddenly started running, but transport operations continued,” he said.
Security personnel maintained a visible presence across key parts of the central business district, while traffic continued to flow on major roads throughout the day.
By afternoon, commercial activity had continued across most parts of Harare, with shops remaining open and people going about their normal business.
The situation reflected the resilience of economic activity in the capital, where businesses and workers largely maintained normal operations despite uncertainty created by unverified social media messages.
