Bulawayo's dreaded BMW

From the time traffic police introduced BMWs on the roads late last year, commuter omnibus operators say they have not known peace.
Commuters are now aware that each time commuter omnibus drivers meet eact other on the roads they ask questions like "ikhona yini imoto entshontshimali?"
If the answer is yes, drivers look for alternative route to avoid it.
The Police BMWs have since been coined imoto entshontshimali while the drivers are now called "obhudi madlisa". All these names are being drawn from South African kwaito music.
Thamsanqa Dube who plies the City-Gwabalanda route say life was now tough for them as they had to bribe policemen with R200 each time they came across the traffic cops.
"These days when travelling we play those kwaito songs like Imoto entshontshimali and we do it deliberately to tell the police that they are stealing our money". Just imagine, these traffic cops do not take a bribe of less that R200 and if they take such an amount three times a day from me what will I cash at the end of the day?" asked Dube.
Dube said they now try to avoid these traffic cops and that is why the flash each other asking where the cops would be located.
"So we try by all means to avoid this vehicle (BMW) because at the end of the day we cash nothing".
"after all am a family man, I have kids who need school fees, so if I give these guys the cash they demand, how will my family survive?"
"Sometime last week a traffic cop ordered me to switch off my radio as I pumped the volume playing Imoto entshontshimali song. He claimed that I was insulting the police.
"What do you expect from someone who would force you to come out of the car to negotiate a bribe?" he asked.
Another driver who plies the Luveve – Nkulumane route, Mlamuli Sibanda said he played Bhudimadlisa each time that he was at work.
"I have realised that police call us Obhudimadlisa babo as they just come to take money from us for no apparent reason.
"In the past we have worked with the traffic cops and they knew our cars had no papers, but they did not make an issue about it, but now they come with the B – cars harassing us" he said.
Sibanda said even those cars with the required documents were being given a torrid time in the same manner as police looked for minor faults to arrest them. "This issue with the police and us is not about papers, but they want money from us every time we meet. 
"I say so because the last time I was on the road a car with papers was impounded as the driver had refused to pay the bribe they were demanding.
"They openly told the driver that he was going to spend more money to get his car back, So it show that it is not a matter of the law, but fixing each other. So we will continue to play our songs even if they do not like them" he said
Bulawayo provincial spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo said commuter operators must not pay fines without receipts as they would also be committing a crime.
"Why are they paying fines and not getting receipts because they have the right to refuse if they are not given a receipt. My office is not aware of such a thing, so I am urging the transport operators to report such cases.
"As for the songs being banned by police, it's also news to me and if it's really happening we would have to look into it" he said.