By Leopold Munhende

ANTI-RIOT police fired teargas during the evening rush hour in Harare’s teaming streets of the CBD Wednesday while dispersing hundreds of MDC youths who caught them off-guard with an unannounced demonstration against rising poverty in the country.

The MDC youths gathered at Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House (formerly Harvest House) in the late hours of the day to march downtown carrying placards denouncing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government.

Truckloads of police officers caught up with the youths around Copacapana bus terminus less than a kilometre from the MDC main offices and were forced to fire choking smoke to disperse the youths.

Vendors were caught up in the skirmishes with some losing their wares.

By the time of publishing this report, there were no reported cases of any injuries or arrests.

The protest came hours after MDC leader Nelson Chamisa addressed journalists at the party’s main headquarters where he threatened heightened government confrontation over its failure to remedy a deepening national crisis.

Some of the demonstrating MDC youths