Kombi driver speeds off with cop hanging onto wipers

A FEMALE police officer escaped death by a whisker when she clung precariously on the front of a kombi whose driver had tried to run over her at a roadblock in Gweru.

The dreadlocked driver drove for about 20 metres with the police officer clutching onto the wipers and only stopped the kombi after being coerced to do so by his passengers.

The incident which was witnessed by this reporter occurred around 10am last Thursday at a roadblock along the Gweru-Shurugwi Highway.

When the kombi finally stopped, the police officer jumped off and dashed to the driver's door and caught him as he tried to flee."Ko uri kuda kundiurairei?

Ndakuti mira wava kudriver wakandinanga," (Do you want to kill me? Why did you proceed after I had flagged you to stop?" shouted the police officer as she grabbed the driver by the belt.

Traffic ground to a halt as other police officers joined to assist their colleague.

They wrestled with the driver for close to 20 minutes in the middle of the road as he viciously resisted arrest but they later managed to subdue him.

The incident occured a day after National Traffic police spokesperson, Inspector Tigere Chigome had warned motorists especially kombi drivers against disobeying traffic rules saying police would bring them to book.

Insp Chigome said police were concerned by the increasing incidents of police officers and pedestrians being knocked down by kombi drivers and other motorists failing to obey simple traffic rules.

"They (kombi drivers) even fail to stop when flagged by police officers enforcing traffic laws. The other motorists have also joined in such practices. Police officers and pedestrians have been knocked down by these defiant drivers," Insp Chigome said.