via ZRP silent on roadblock petition | The Zimbabwean by Edgar Gweshe.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police’s silence on a petition challenging them to declare money being collected from police roadblocks is a serious cause for concern, a local lobby group has said.
CAC want the ZRP to be transparent about the money it receives from roadblocks.
The Coalition Against Corruption in September last year petitioned the Police Commissioner General, Augustine Chihuri, to account for the money collected from police roadblocks around the country.
The CAC said the petition was meant to ensure transparency and accountability within the police force. This came in the wake of reports by the then-Finance Minister, Tendai Biti, that the money was not being remitted to Treasury.
Officially opening the 13th Zanu (PF) Annual National People’s Conference in Gweru in December last year, President Robert Mugabe bemoaned the high levels of corruption in the ZRP as well as the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.
Chihuri is on record warning his subordinates against engaging in corrupt activities. There have been reports of traffic police officers getting rich on bribes from commuter omnibus operators.
CAC National Coordinator, Regis Chingawo, told The Zimbabwean that efforts to get a feedback from the police regarding their petition had been unsuccessful.
He said it was the public’s right to know where the revenue from police roadblocks was being channeled.
“We delivered the petition last year but we are yet to get any feedback from the police. The public has the right to know and that is one sure way of promoting transparency and accountability in the country,” said Chingawo.
He said CAC would continue to push the ZRP to declare money from police roadblocks. “We will continue pushing them so that they respond to our petition and make the information public,” said Chingawo.
When contacted for comment, police national spokesperson, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba, said: “Who are you to ask that question. Are you trying to speak on their (CAC) behalf? Tell them to come to the Police General Headquarters if they need a reply”.
COMMENTS
Interpretation: “Shut up and stop asking questions which we don’t want to answer!” Apparently the ZRP spokesperson has the same attitude as Mpofu, Mudede, and the ZEC – believing that they are not public servents to serve all, but rather seperate entities who must protect their income. In that any sort of factual figures might give some hint as to how efficiently these departments are being run, they are be regarded as a state secret. The type of information that is freely available to ordinary citizens in other countries is in Zimbabwe kept from view so as to enable ZANU-PF’s continuation of their looting. If they have nothing to hide, then why are they hiding it? Where is the electronic voters roll?
Roadblocks are looting stations. Police must put up signs: Stop here and hand over some money.
Zimbabwe will not be the same again,nyika yababa yaparara,ZANU-PF thugs is using uncle Gushungo to enrich themself,coz havachatemwi dzichibuda ropa….
The best way in this case is to abolish these so called spot fine as they encourage corruption. Have observed that most police officer in the traffic section are actually on a spree of buying kombies.I am not saying that they should not buy kombies or cars,but judging by their salaries it is an open secret that they are looting state funds in the form of spot fines. Maybe what the motoring public should do is to organise itself and encourage one anothe to desist from paying these spot fines at road blocks.
What a shamew to have a policeforce that behaves like holigans. The next government after this Zanu Pf thing should advocate for a degree holder to be in the policeforce rather than these current fools that make up the forceand are bust disgracing out once beloved country
Let us all unite and stop paying cash and opt for court ruling and hear where the judges say the money should be paid to.