News / Local
BMW-X5 motorist to sue spike 'happy' cops
28 Jun 2014 at 13:13hrs | Views
POLICE yesterday threw spikes on a Bulawayo motorist driving a BMW-X5 who has since threatened to sue them.
Gary Mushambavanhu, 42, was travelling to Botswana with his children aged three, eight and 11 when the police threw the spikes on his vehicle.
The police officers disappeared from the scene and Mushambavanhu confiscated the spikes and yesterday he told Chronicle that he was going to use them as evidence for his planned law suit.
The incident happened at the intersection of 9th Avenue and Fife Street.
"These spikes are my exhibits," said Mushambavanhu.
He said he wanted to take his children to Botswana on a vacation and the police had spoiled his trip.
"This is a very expensive tyre that costs more than $600 and now I have to look for that money because I can't travel to Botswana without a spare wheel. My children are on a vacation and I've decided to take them there," he said.
He said after throwing the spikes, the police apologised and promised to mend the tyre.
"They apologised and promised to mend it but they have disappeared. I don't know where they have gone. They did not even give me the receipt for the $20 fine they charged me," said Mushambavanhu.
He said when the police stopped him at the intersection of 9th Avenue and Fife Street, he asked to park his car in the nearby parking lot but one of the officers threw the spike on him.
"I asked to park so that I won't block oncoming traffic but one of them decided to throw the spike on my car. I'm travelling to Botswana with my kids, the youngest twins are three years old. You can imagine the trauma they had to go through," he said.
"I had already stopped as the robot had turned amber but three police officers came to me saying I had entered a red robot. They demanded that I pay a $20 spot fine. I've been driving for the past 20 years and what I know is that when the robots turn amber you stop and that's what I did."
Witnesses said the police behaviour was unnecessary as it was putting lives of innocent people in danger.
"I saw him talking to the police and the next thing a police officer was throwing spikes on his car. How can police officers have a roadblock at the robots?" asked Edward Jaji.
Contacted for comment, Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo referred the reporter to National Traffic Police spokesperson Inspector Tigere Chigome who was unreachable.
In the past few months, police have come under fire for their continued use of spikes but their bosses have repeatedly denied that they throw spikes at moving vehicles.
Following the kombi accident that left 16 people injured in Bulawayo recently as a result of the use of spikes, the national police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi said police had stopped using the spikes.
Gary Mushambavanhu, 42, was travelling to Botswana with his children aged three, eight and 11 when the police threw the spikes on his vehicle.
The police officers disappeared from the scene and Mushambavanhu confiscated the spikes and yesterday he told Chronicle that he was going to use them as evidence for his planned law suit.
The incident happened at the intersection of 9th Avenue and Fife Street.
"These spikes are my exhibits," said Mushambavanhu.
He said he wanted to take his children to Botswana on a vacation and the police had spoiled his trip.
"This is a very expensive tyre that costs more than $600 and now I have to look for that money because I can't travel to Botswana without a spare wheel. My children are on a vacation and I've decided to take them there," he said.
He said after throwing the spikes, the police apologised and promised to mend the tyre.
"They apologised and promised to mend it but they have disappeared. I don't know where they have gone. They did not even give me the receipt for the $20 fine they charged me," said Mushambavanhu.
He said when the police stopped him at the intersection of 9th Avenue and Fife Street, he asked to park his car in the nearby parking lot but one of the officers threw the spike on him.
"I asked to park so that I won't block oncoming traffic but one of them decided to throw the spike on my car. I'm travelling to Botswana with my kids, the youngest twins are three years old. You can imagine the trauma they had to go through," he said.
"I had already stopped as the robot had turned amber but three police officers came to me saying I had entered a red robot. They demanded that I pay a $20 spot fine. I've been driving for the past 20 years and what I know is that when the robots turn amber you stop and that's what I did."
Witnesses said the police behaviour was unnecessary as it was putting lives of innocent people in danger.
"I saw him talking to the police and the next thing a police officer was throwing spikes on his car. How can police officers have a roadblock at the robots?" asked Edward Jaji.
Contacted for comment, Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo referred the reporter to National Traffic Police spokesperson Inspector Tigere Chigome who was unreachable.
In the past few months, police have come under fire for their continued use of spikes but their bosses have repeatedly denied that they throw spikes at moving vehicles.
Following the kombi accident that left 16 people injured in Bulawayo recently as a result of the use of spikes, the national police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi said police had stopped using the spikes.
Source - chronicle
