Plumtree police ordered to release impounded bus

A court has ordered police in Plumtree to release a Botswana businessman's bus, which was impounded two weeks ago.

Kaiser Dhliwayo Saungweme, who runs Saungweme Buses, turned to the court after police refused to release his 63-seater bus and kept it at the station.

The police only released the bus to its owner on Monday evening following a directive from the court after it ruled that the bus was being held under unclear grounds.

Police impounded the bus when the driver was arrested at Plumtree Border Post while trying to smuggle goods into the country.

Saungweme told Plumtree magistrate Gideon Ruvetsa that he had suffered loss of business as a result of the hold up.

"My driver was arrested for smuggling goods but I had no idea that he was using my bus for this purpose. He was tried in court for that offence and ordered to pay a fine on the same day but the police refused to release my bus," said Saungweme.

He said he took his permits to the Plumtree Police Station as proof that the bus belonged to him and that it had the authority to ply the Botswana-Harare route but all his efforts were fruitless.

Saungweme said he had not authorised his driver to transport smuggled goods as the bus was for ferrying passengers travelling from Francistown to Harare.

He told the court that the police had turned down his application to have the bus released without a tangible reason.

Magistrate Ruvetsa ordered the police to release the bus after pointing out that they had no authority to hold onto it since Saungweme had produced all relevant documentation.

Officer commanding Bulilima-Mangwe District, Chief Superintendent Macdonald Samuriwo, who represented the police said there were a number of modalities which they had to go through before releasing the bus.

There has been an outcry in the town over delays in the release of impounded vehicles at the police station.