Opinion / Columnist
Mugabe can not be trusted on roadblocks
28 Aug 2017 at 18:22hrs | Views
On Saturday, President Robert Mugabe had many surprises for thousands of mourners who converged at the National Heroes Acre for the joint burials of the late Moudy Muzenda and George Rutanhire.
But no one had expected him to savage the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) for the conduct of its traffic officers at numerous roadblocks.
Not only did the 93-year-old tell mourners and television viewers that police officers were demanding bribes on the roads but also said he was aware they were operating commuter omnibuses, some of which were contributing to the carnage on the country's roads.
This was some statement by the head of State!
But this is not the first time Mugabe has expressed himself on this subject and sadly, instead of curbing corruption at these roadblocks, police have actually increased them.
In fact, they have gone on to employ spikes to make sure that motorists targeted in their blitz do not escape these roadblocks and so-called check points.
In 2012, speaking at the annual Zanu PF people's conference in Gweru, Mugabe asked police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri what sort of crimes were motorists committing which demanded the ever-presence of his officers on the roads.
Between that time and today, Zimbabwe has been almost turned into a police state as evidenced by the number of roadblocks and security checks.
In fact, basing on the numbers of police officers on the roads, it is not farfetched to say that almost every police officer now prioritises policing traffic and there are very few focusing on key areas.
While it is important that Mugabe has spoken about these roadblocks and the conduct of the police officers, his statement will likely count for nothing in the absence of the will to reduce them and let police focus on their core duties.
The mind-blowing monetary figures that are being recorded by these roadblocks tell a different story and it is one which exposes government's duplicity.
How on earth can police earn more than a blue chip company?
Figures don't lie!
In the first six months of this year, the ZRP had collected $14 million from its unpopular roadblocks and arrested more than one million traffic offenders.
By its own admission, the ZRP was now failing to meet targets because of too many roadblocks.
And it's very difficult to think that the ZRP can act on its own without government blessings.
But no one had expected him to savage the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) for the conduct of its traffic officers at numerous roadblocks.
Not only did the 93-year-old tell mourners and television viewers that police officers were demanding bribes on the roads but also said he was aware they were operating commuter omnibuses, some of which were contributing to the carnage on the country's roads.
This was some statement by the head of State!
But this is not the first time Mugabe has expressed himself on this subject and sadly, instead of curbing corruption at these roadblocks, police have actually increased them.
In fact, they have gone on to employ spikes to make sure that motorists targeted in their blitz do not escape these roadblocks and so-called check points.
In 2012, speaking at the annual Zanu PF people's conference in Gweru, Mugabe asked police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri what sort of crimes were motorists committing which demanded the ever-presence of his officers on the roads.
Between that time and today, Zimbabwe has been almost turned into a police state as evidenced by the number of roadblocks and security checks.
In fact, basing on the numbers of police officers on the roads, it is not farfetched to say that almost every police officer now prioritises policing traffic and there are very few focusing on key areas.
While it is important that Mugabe has spoken about these roadblocks and the conduct of the police officers, his statement will likely count for nothing in the absence of the will to reduce them and let police focus on their core duties.
The mind-blowing monetary figures that are being recorded by these roadblocks tell a different story and it is one which exposes government's duplicity.
How on earth can police earn more than a blue chip company?
Figures don't lie!
In the first six months of this year, the ZRP had collected $14 million from its unpopular roadblocks and arrested more than one million traffic offenders.
By its own admission, the ZRP was now failing to meet targets because of too many roadblocks.
And it's very difficult to think that the ZRP can act on its own without government blessings.
Source - dailynews
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