News / National
Omalayitsha cry foul over police officers demanding grocery bribes
13 Aug 2021 at 14:27hrs | Views
Cross-border transporters commonly known as omalayitsha have expressed concerns over the police officers allegedly demanding bribes based on luggage they are carrying to allow them to cross the Beitbridge border post between South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The cross border transport operators said failure to pay the wanted money one risked getting his vehicle confiscated.
"The police officers will tell you to choose between them confiscating your car or you paying an amount of 5 000 rands or more depending on the language you are carrying," he said.
He accused the police officers of using the government orders as an excuse to demand money.
"We are tired of the police who ask for a lot of money from us from the border until we reach the end of our journey," he said.
"Now they are telling us that only ZUPCO vehicles are allowed to travel and transport goods. How is that possible? How are they expecting us to survive? What about families whose lives depend on their relatives in South Africa? The government needs to think for the people."
Matabeleland South police spokesperson Inspector Loveness Mangena could not comment on the issue.
"I'm not allowed to comment on general issues like this one. I'm given authority to speak on matters of Matabeleland South Province," she said.
The cross border transport operators said failure to pay the wanted money one risked getting his vehicle confiscated.
"The police officers will tell you to choose between them confiscating your car or you paying an amount of 5 000 rands or more depending on the language you are carrying," he said.
He accused the police officers of using the government orders as an excuse to demand money.
"We are tired of the police who ask for a lot of money from us from the border until we reach the end of our journey," he said.
"Now they are telling us that only ZUPCO vehicles are allowed to travel and transport goods. How is that possible? How are they expecting us to survive? What about families whose lives depend on their relatives in South Africa? The government needs to think for the people."
Matabeleland South police spokesperson Inspector Loveness Mangena could not comment on the issue.
"I'm not allowed to comment on general issues like this one. I'm given authority to speak on matters of Matabeleland South Province," she said.
Source - Byo24News
