The Zimbabwe Republic Police has reportedly moved with speed transferring all officers at Mabvuku Police Station following reports that three of them had been hauled before the courts for openly soliciting for bribes.
BY RICHARD CHIDZA
Three police officers from the station were recently nabbed after a trap was set in which they were caught allegedly receiving bribes from commuter omnibus crews.
Top police sources told NewsDay this week, the axe had since fallen on all officers at the station.
“Police do not tolerate such nonsense. It tarnishes the image of the police force and we have moved with speed to remove everyone at the station. Yesterday (Wednesday) officers-in-charge were being moved to make sure these rotten apples do not contaminate the force and are neutralised. It is a clear message that corruption will not be tolerated,” NewsDay heard.
According to sources, the station had no less than 45 traffic officers, but the dragnet seemed to have closed in on everyone.
“No less than 150 officers would have been affected in all. It is a message that the authorities want to send a message of zero tolerance to corruption, but it could be a little too late. In terms of traffic management, that section is rotten and it is just unfortunate that those now being used as examples were caught. Otherwise the practice is not confined to that station alone,” the insider said.
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Harare police spokesperson Simon Chazovachii referred questions to national spokesperson Paul Nyathi, who yesterday said he was uninformed.
“I am at the staff college and am unable to help at the moment,” Nyathi said.
Corruption watchdog Transparency international Zimbabwe director Mary-Jane Ncube said the organisation welcomed the police move.
“When police are known for bribe taking behaviour, it undermines the integrity of the institution and its role in governance and as a critical arm of the State. The fact that authorities have moved in to act on public concerns regarding in particular traffic police will help boost public confidence in the force,” she said.
The three traffic officers — Dorcas Kanyemba, Barbra Macharika and Simbarashe Chigweshe — are currently appearing before the courts facing allegations of abusing their status as public officers.
It is the State’s case that on October 19, Assistant Inspector Thomas Mabgwe stationed at the Police General Headquarters Intelligence Directorate received information from Darlington Mupariwa to the effect that traffic police were soliciting for $5 bribes from commuter omnibus crews in order for them to pass through checkpoints without hassles.
Allegations against the trio are that they would then allocate a code to those that would have paid the “passage fee”.
Mabgwe after consultation reportedly set a trap and nabbed the rogue officers after handing over bribe money and getting the day’s code “zero”.
In 2012, a report by the Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa revealed that Zimbabwean police were the most corrupt law enforcement agents in the region.
“Using proceeds of corruption, some police officers bought vehicles and commuter omnibuses of their own which operate hassle- free and some have bought houses to name, but a few.
“The findings also suggest that traffic officers share their daily bribe takings with their bosses in the offices, failure of which they risk being transferred to non-lucrative assignments,” the report read.
It said police were demanding $10 per day at any given check-point across the country.
Early this year, then officer commanding Harare police Clemence Munoriyarwa disclosed that about 100 officers had been blacklisted on allegations of corruption.
