via Senior government official gives police corruption thumbs up | SW Radio Africa by Mthulisi Mathuthu on Thursday, May 29, 2014
In what observers see as endorsement of police corruption, a senior government official has justified the decision to allow the police to retain all money collected from traffic spot fines, claiming the proceeds are used to meet the ZRP’s operational needs.
Appearing before parliament, Home Affairs permanent secretary Melusi Matshiya pleaded with Treasury to continue allowing the police to retain spot fines, saying the money is used to purchase uniforms. Matshiya claimed that police officers were so ashamed of their worn out attire that they were ‘shy’ to attend to crime scenes but the situation had improved since the police were allowed to retain the money they collected.
Matshiya made these claims despite refusing to disclose how much the police are collecting every month, choosing only to reveal that the force was second to the national tax collector in revenue collection. He also did not disclose how the money from spot fines was managed.
A few months ago, a senior assistant police commissioner also told Parliament that police were not obliged to hand over gold recovered from criminal scenes.
These details come at a time when public anger and frustration with police corruption is high. Daily, members of the public take to the social media to complain about traffic cops who force them to pay either bribes or spot fines for cooked up offences.
Bulawayo Agenda Executive Director Thabani Nyoni said: ‘The issue of spot fines reveals the extent to which corruption has been institutionalized.’ He said the correct situation will for the government to introduce a law stipulating the procedures to be followed in the collection and management of the spot fines, to curb corruption.
Nyoni said by openly endorsing ‘unaccountable revenue collection’ by the police the government is admitting that corporate corruption was now a project to cover up for the state’s failure to manage the economy, pay its civil servants and improve service delivery.
In March SW Radio Africa reported on the extent of the collapse of service delivery across the board with state departments and parastatals failing to pay their bills. Observers blamed the situation on corruption, but it is police corruption in particular that has riled members of the public, as the police are supposed to be law enforcers.
So endemic is police corruption that even police commissioner Augustine Chihuri was two months ago forced to try and minimize it by transferring as many as 2,000 cops from the traffic and minerals units, from urban to remote areas and vice versa around the country.
A few years ago a regional anti-corruption trust found that the Zimbabwean traffic cops were the most corrupt in Southern Africa. Last year Africa Barometer, a research project which measures public attitudes on socio-economic issues, found that Zimbabwe was the third most corrupt African country after Nigeria and Egypt.
COMMENTS
These are not Police. The Police were retired long ago.These are syndicates and warlords that are carrying out these thefts. Where in the world do you encourage a Police force to go out and make money to buy their uniforms. If they could the so called Army would be doing raids into Botswana to steal money for their pay. This is crazy talk. SADEC stands by a watches. IMPOTENT SADEC.
And this, my fellow countrymen and countrywomen, is not going to stop until and unless we make it stop. In fact is is going to get worse and at the rate at which we are going we will be number one on the corruption index before we know it.
Ladies and gentlemen the solution is with and in us. We can start by refusing them the bribes they demand at these traffic stops. Yes, they will make life difficult for us, but that is the only way we can reclaim our power back. The very moment they realise we are not playing ball anymore is the moment we can turn the tables on them, otherwise we are just setting ourselves for more heartache and tough road ahead of us by banking on these inept and equally corrupt politicians. We will be disappointed and the corruption will continue to eat away the marrow of our social conscience and responsibilities.
Continuing on this path without a push back will equally be our fault, just as it is theirs. We cannot continue pretending that exposure of what we already know will make a difference and force the corrupt to change their attitude and start doing right by us. My friends we are on our own. The sooner we realize that and act upon it the better for us, our children and the future of our country. Hear and act. Don’t wait for the next person to assume your responsibilities.
Yes Pati, apa wataura chokwadi – we are definitely on the fast track to overtake Nigeria in terms of corruption. Funny that? What was our ‘dear’ Gushungo saying about Nigeria not so long ago?
Anyway, why should anyone in (ZANU) government give a damn – they never have and they never will. As Pati says, the solution is within ourselves. It just depends on how badly we are suffering, before we rise up together as a united nation. The sad truth is that the indications are that it still has to get worse before we can even hope that it will get better based on how divided our nation and it’s people are regarding the way forward. Until then, it will be ALUTA CONTINUA!!!
Is this within the laws of the country? The lawlessness surpasses anything I have head of. Its the wild wild West in Zimbabwe .The police have turned outlaws and ZANU is happy . Its just an orgie of looting. Total may hem.
ZANU must go.
Civil disobedience is our only path to freedom. It does matter which way you looking, they are just feeding on us like piranhas.
Its getting worse and worse since the cake is getting smaller.
Pati you make a lot of sense. That is why I continue on this forum. You never know the answer could be right here.. maybe what you say?
The money collected should be channelled to the Treasury. This stupid experimental approach for the Police to retain money collected from spot fines is not only unheard of but cultivates corruption of the first class order. How can Police be allowed to run a parrarel fund? Who accounts for this money with the present crop of police-like officers?
Of course the bogus fine proceeds are not used for uniforms etc !!!!!! The illicit loot is enjoyed for beer and proßtitutes while the zrp kids starve and don’t go school
ZRP is ZANU private security. We all know this.
ZRP = Zimbabwe Republic Parasites
Definition of parasite: a person who receives support, advantage, or the like, from another or others without giving any useful or proper return, as one who lives on the hospitality of others. SPOT ON!!!!
What did you expect him to as he is a beneficiary of this corruption through reciept of vehicles bought by the police.
The issue here is that the ZRP is now a private company. They employ traffic cops to collect money where and when they choose to. This has nothing to do with law enforcement. The roads after dark are a death trap with vehicles with no lights and unroadworthy vehicles the Traffic police are nowhere to be seen. The people breaking the law such as farmers with unlicensed and unroadworthy Tractors, coming and doing their business in town is rampant. Stray cattle killing drivers at night are allowed to wander freely on the roads and for only one reasn – there is no money in it for the police. Murders will go uninvestigated because there is no profit for the police.
If this paramilitry force wish to collect revenue and keep it then I suggest that ZIMRA stop paying police salaries altogether and make the police pay the Airforce and the Solidiers as well.
Yes Doc, the answer is right here with us and with every Zimbabwean.
Yesterday there was grid-lock at the intersection of Samora Machel and James MacDonald. The lights were out.
200 m along the road to Bulawayo were 4 police collecting spot fines from commuters. No police were at the intersection to assist with the traffic flow.
ZRP is not about security and safety. It is about revenue collection for themselves. This is purely criminal.
Highway robbery – literally.
In developed countries they talk of military industrial complexes defining the politics of the country. In Zimbabwe it has become those who supply uniforms and provisions that seem to be determining policy. Not long ago the contract to supply uniforms was in Joyclene Chiwenga’s pocket. So the Darwendale complex that did uniforms for soldiers was deliberately underfunded and eventually closed to allow for the insatiable appetite for money of the army general’s wife. I do not know who supplies the police with uniforms but suspect it is someone along the same lines.
These thieving scumbags in authority are just lawless – they have been this way for the last 34 years- thats a long time – how long will it continue?
Pati and Doctor Do little are right
I can remember when the BSAP were the police. Back then things were rather different.
no wonder they cannot arrest the thieving scum bags at the top- the place is in a great mess