via Police anti-graft purge questioned | SW Radio Africa by Nomalanga Moyo on Friday, October 18, 2013
Nineteen senior police officers are set to be retired amid widespread speculation that those targeted may have fallen out of favour with top cop Augustine Chihuri.
Police commissioner-general Chihuri said those being released had reached retirement age, and “had not committed any crime”.
This followed a week awash with press reports that the ‘retirements’ and transfers had more to do with allegations of corruption than the ages of the affected officers.
On Friday, the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper claimed those facing the chop had angered Chihuri, either by allegedly leaking information to the country’s ‘enemies’, or supporting calls for security sector reforms.
The Daily News says the retirements are part of a purge to rid the force of corruption, after most of the targeted retirees were fingered in scandals.
On Tuesday, the paper also revealed that superintendent Joel Tenderere had been reassigned to Nkayi after he tried to seize a property from a Harare couple. His co-accused Oliver Chibage, was reportedly forced to resign.
Some of the officers were accused of using Chihuri’s name for extortion while others had been conscripted into criminal syndicates.
The Daily News has commended Chihuri “for taking a deservedly strong stance towards the allegations of serious graft within the upper echelons of the force”.
But some observers, including the paper’s readers, have questioned the so-called corruption probe.
In a Tuesday comment one reader, Tino, wrote: “Why are you missing the point that when a top police officer is implicated in serious corrupt activities, they should be suspended pending investigation and if found guilty should be expelled?
“Since when did we start to accept that reassignment to Nkayi or wherever else as punishment, in other words we are now saying going to Nkayi is a terrible thing, so what does that mean for the people of that region?
“It just goes to show the perverse culture of corruption and impunity in the Zimbabwean police force, Chihuri’s hands are bloody as is his conscience.”
Harare-based Simon Muchemwa said there was no punishment in transferring or retiring officers accused of corruption.
Muchemwa said: “Fighting corruption should involve taking punitive measures against those found guilty. A genuine process would involve a proper investigation, and where necessary, calling in the Anti-Corruption Commission.
“But the Zimbabwean police cannot do this because the rot cascades right from Chihuri himself down to the lowest ranked officer. It is no wonder that some of the officers are alleged to have been using Chihuri’s name for extortion, they wouldn’t just do this if he has not allowed it in the past.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these officers are being punished for operating their own syndicates, outside those sanctioned by their bosses,” Muchemwa added.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police, which Chihuri presides over, was last year singled out by anti-graft body Transparency International as the most corrupt arm of government, and also in the region.
Earlier this year, a Transparency report detailed how police bosses have been involved in the looting of the Chiadzwa diamond fields.
The report further revealed how the police force, which has a 20% diamond mining stake in Chiadzwa, has also formed syndicates with senior politicians, to engage in illegal gold panning.
In the past, junior police officers have accused top officer Chihuri of looting police resources, partly through an intricate web of ghost officers and direct control of revenue collected through traffic fines.
A strong Mugabe ally, Chihuri was one of many ZANU PF officials who looted the ‘War Victims’ Fund in 1997 after he claimed to be 100% disabled. He is yet to be prosecuted.
COMMENTS
THATS THE CRUNCH OF THE MATTER— ZANU AT IT BEST– LAWLESSNESS,BENIGN MANIPULATIVE, EXPEDIENT AND IF NO LONGER USEFUL – DOWN THE GALLOWS YOU GO. Down he drain and in comes the young Turks. The retired officers should have know better when they thought they were the echelons and now that they have been felled it will not come as a surprise if they are going to rot in prison. FOOLS! GLUTTONS! EMBECILES! STUPID You should have stood ethically instead of being used and when you were being used, useable and useful. Look Mugabe used Tekere Where is Tekere today Mugabe used Nyagumbo, Nkala, Dambengwa now is using Jonathan Moyo, Munangangwa, Chihuri Wait all they don’t see is that Mugabe is positioning himself empiric empire Zimbabwe his empire the ALPHAAND THE OMEGA per DISGRACED DISGRACE MUGABE trying to establish Zimbabwe their empire grooming the Chinese bred Robert Junior and the stupid army police prison will swallow hook sink and line. WATCH.
THATS THE CRUNCH OF THE MATTER— ZANU AT IT BEST– LAWLESSNESS,BENIGN MANIPULATIVE, EXPEDIENT AND IF NO LONGER USEFUL – DOWN THE GALLOWS YOU GO. Down he drain and in comes the young Turks. The retired officers should have know better when they thought they were the echelons and now that they have been felled it will not come as a surprise if they are not going to end up rotting in prison. FOOLS! GLUTTONS! EMBECILES! STUPID! You should have stood ethically instead of being swallowed in this hollowness of greed, corruption and abject selfishness and cruelty to the populace and at the expense of the majority by being used in this fiasco and sang Mugabe song and his tune only to turn out that you were being used, useable and useful. Look Mugabe used Tekere. Where is Tekere today? Mugabe used Nyagumbo, Nkala, Dambengwa now is using Jonathan Moyo, Munangangwa, Chihuri. Wait all they don’t see is that Mugabe is positioning himself emperor, emperess and Zimbabwe his empire — the ALPHA AND THE OMEGA per DISGRACED DISGRACE MUGABE empress trying to establish Zimbabwe their empire grooming the Chinese bred Robert Junior and Bona the virgin virginazed whore and the stupid army, police,and prison systems and the COI and the purported intelligensia and the gullible Zimbabweans will swallow hook sink and line till they are all sank. WATCH.
Why has Zimbabwe not been renamed Mugabeland..?
There is absolutely nothing to celebrate here. And I am very surprised to read “the Daily News commended Chihuri…” Its a great pity the unitiated will fall for the idea that Chihuri intends to clean the police force of corruption. Nothing could be further from the truth. Where does he start? From the time he falsely claimed almost 100 per cent disability as a war veteran veteran, courtesy of the late mad pseudo medical practitioner, Hitler “Chenjerayi” Hunzvi, he was starting his crusade to destroy the police force. Unfortunately, all the 1980s era ministers, civil servants and the mujibhas and chimbwidos were all allowed to join the gravy train by getting bizarre and shoddy medical reports from Hunzvi to fleece the State of Zimbabwe and virtually empty its coffers. Chihuri and his colleagues who now sit in the notorious JOC all unashamedly benefitted from these payouts. After taking over a well run and virtually untainted police force what did he do? He recruited from Border Gezi’s green bombers whose training under the guise of national service was actually aimed at turning them into murderous ZANU PF militias. Chihuri systematically destroyed the police, rendering it unfit for purpose and no longer responsive to citizens’ expectations but turned them into enemies of the people. Corruption became rife at his watch and with his countenance. To redeem himself and recover his lost reputation, Chihuri must clean the force, starting with himself. It is instructive to note that in the 1980s President Mugabe, then Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister, suspended a national police chief and appointed a judicial inquiry to determine his fitness. The PM took that decision after receiving reports of corruption on the part of the police chief. It is the same esteemed President of the republic who can restore the image of our police service and appoint another judicial inquiry to investigate the present police leadership and the entire organisation. Letting Chihuri choose who to target does not cure the cancer. Zimbabweans lets discuss this. Any comment?
Taurai Chokwadi – 18 October 2013