News / Local
Traffic cops, kombi crew in physical fight
13 Sep 2014 at 01:39hrs | Views
Bulawayo traffic police and commuter omnibus crews on Friday fought physically after the latter were forced to off-load passengers along the Masiyepambili Drive.
People travelling to town during the early morning rush were treated to a free real-life "police and criminals" movie when the police manhandled crews from at least three minibuses who did not take kindly to the physical contact and retaliated.
The incident happened near the Flyover close to the intersection of Plumtree Road and Masiyepambili Drive when the commuter omnibus crews were forced to off-load their passengers under unclear circumstances.
"It was more of a physical fight and one kombi driver was holding a brick, while the other one was being held by the collar by a uniformed policeman," said a woman who asked not to be named.
The eyewitnesses said there were yellow, white and green and a plain white minibuses whose crews were later handcuffed and a towing company vehicle summoned to come and tow away the three buses.
Yesterday an official from TshovhaMubaiwa Cooperative, who refused to be named, said trouble between traffic police and their crews has been brewing with their crews alleging police were making too many demands outside the books of law.
"Some of them are using their private cars to chase perceived offenders and we have seen a white Toyota Ipsum with tinted windows along the Luveve Road, while two Honda Fit cars, a red one driven by a female traffic cop and another one by a male traffic cop, harass motorists along the Pumula Road," said the official.
The official also spoke of an incident when a traffic policeman dragged a conductor of a commuter omnibus by the belt when he had been given change in coins.
"It was right here and the policeman only let go when we gave him back his money," said the official.
In the morning, The Zimbabwe Mail witnessed a white Toyota Ipsum car driven by a traffic policeman chasing and blocking a motorist who was driving a small Ford Escort car along the Victoria Falls Road.
The acting spokesperson for Bulawayo police, Assistant Inspector AbednicoNcube yesterday said he had not received any report of that nature.
"I haven't received that report, but can you check with the traffic police," he said. In turn traffic police referred all questions to their spokespersons.
It was not clear what later happened to the arrested drivers.
People travelling to town during the early morning rush were treated to a free real-life "police and criminals" movie when the police manhandled crews from at least three minibuses who did not take kindly to the physical contact and retaliated.
The incident happened near the Flyover close to the intersection of Plumtree Road and Masiyepambili Drive when the commuter omnibus crews were forced to off-load their passengers under unclear circumstances.
"It was more of a physical fight and one kombi driver was holding a brick, while the other one was being held by the collar by a uniformed policeman," said a woman who asked not to be named.
The eyewitnesses said there were yellow, white and green and a plain white minibuses whose crews were later handcuffed and a towing company vehicle summoned to come and tow away the three buses.
Yesterday an official from TshovhaMubaiwa Cooperative, who refused to be named, said trouble between traffic police and their crews has been brewing with their crews alleging police were making too many demands outside the books of law.
The official also spoke of an incident when a traffic policeman dragged a conductor of a commuter omnibus by the belt when he had been given change in coins.
"It was right here and the policeman only let go when we gave him back his money," said the official.
In the morning, The Zimbabwe Mail witnessed a white Toyota Ipsum car driven by a traffic policeman chasing and blocking a motorist who was driving a small Ford Escort car along the Victoria Falls Road.
The acting spokesperson for Bulawayo police, Assistant Inspector AbednicoNcube yesterday said he had not received any report of that nature.
"I haven't received that report, but can you check with the traffic police," he said. In turn traffic police referred all questions to their spokespersons.
It was not clear what later happened to the arrested drivers.
Source - The Zim Mail
