Chihuri defends roadblocks

THE Commissioner General of Police Dr Augustine Chihuri yesterday fired a vitriol at people criticising high police presence on national roads, saying such characters  had sinister motives and evil intentions.

Government officials and the public have raised alarm over the excessive number of roadblocks on highways and in some instances within cities.

Dr Chihuri said the police were only carrying out their constitutional mandate and did not formulate the law, neither did they assemble vehicles.

Speaking at the commissioning of new housing units at ZRP Support Unit Changadzi in Chimanimani yesterday, Dr Chihuri said police were on the highways to protect the public.

He said police did not formulate laws, but only enforced the same to ensure compliance and maintain order.

"People have bitter mouths," he said. "You only want to talk about the bad things without acknowledging the good things that are being done. This is so because we have evil intentions within ourselves which cloud our minds not to see good things.

"We know as the police we are being criticised about roadblocks and so on.

"The roads are there. They were not constructed by the police. The vehicles are there, they were not assembled by the police. The laws are there, they were not formulated and enacted by the police."

Dr Chihuri said a lot happened on the roads.

"Some people get killed in road accidents and so forth," he said. "All these things are not being done by the police, but you hear grown up people criticising the police heavily as if Zimbabwe is the only country that has cops on the roads.

"Why are you so much afraid of the police on the roads, yet they are there to protect you? You are used to being protected by dogs. What is more important to be safeguarded by a police officer or a dog? You have the answer and I will not continue talking about this issue."

On the construction of the housing units, Dr Chihuri praised the Support Unit for the initiative, which he said was in line with Zim-Asset.

"I need to commend and applaud the Officer Commanding Police Support Unit, Dr Angeline Guvamombe, for having moulded a compact team around a vision which is not entangled by the curse of murmuring and grumbling," he said.

"As most of us are aware, last year in July a similar project as this one was commissioned at Support Unit Buchwa and this year, in the same month of July, we are privileged to commission a similar cluster of houses at Support Unit, Changadzi.

"The question to others is, what has been happening?

"To the astute, challenges are appetising. It is unfortunate that others stand akimbo, wallow and tinker in confusion. They allow themselves to be mesmerised and domesticated by challenges.

"It is pleasing to note that Support Unit is making a decisive contribution to the national economic blueprint, Zim-Asset, specifically the infrastructure and utilities cluster matrix."

Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs, Mandi Chimene, said the construction of the housing units would go a long way in easing accommodation blues at the camp.

"This is noble," she said. "We need to build our nation. Building a nation starts from small things and what you have done here, to others it may be just 10 houses, this is just a sign that you can do it."

Dr Guvamombe said $121 600 was used to build the 10 housing units.

"The completion of these housing units shall go a long way in lessening the accommodation crisis of members," she said. "Some of our members are lodging as far as Mutare and Chipinge, commuting each day.

"This scenario is tremendously affecting operations of the district."