Opinion / Columnist
Destitute cops invade police station as Zim govt verges on collapse
08 Jun 2019 at 19:50hrs | Views
Scores of police officers who have become homeless because they cannot afford rentals have pitched tents at Victoria Falls Police Station.
The overwhelmed station allegedly sent an urgent SOS to government on Saturday and still awaits a response.
Landlords started charging US$ last month in the resort town as the local RTGS$ continues losing value daily.
The lowest paid police officer is said to be earning about RTGS$500 monthly, about US$70 on the parallel market which is the only source of forex for ordinary citizens.
The cheapest house is being rented out at about US$50- about RTGS$350.
The RTGS that traded at 1:1 with the greenback at the beginning of the year is now pushing towards the 1:8 mark.
Dissatisfied police officers told Bulawayo24.com they had lost faith in the government as they believed it had lost control of the country's economy.
"President Mnangagwa is totally clueless about how to fix this economy and the situation is deteriorating daily. All he does is get quoted in the media warning those who increase prices and promising to stop the spate of price hikes. The truth on the ground is that things are going up everyday and citizens have become destitute.
"Most of us have been kicked out by landlords because we simply cannot afford the rentals. We can't really blame landlords because they buy from the same supermarkets that we buy from and prices have been pegged in US$ and have gone through the roof in RTGS$ terms. They also have to get a return on their properties," said a police officer who cannot be named for professional reasons.
Another officer said tents and space have actually run out as evicted cops were flooding the station with their properties and families.
The officer said he was pained by the fact that the presidium was sitting pretty while everyone else was suffering.
"I'm deeply hurt because president Mnangagwa and his deputies Chiwenga and Mohadi are unmoved by our plight. These are the guys who have destroyed everything in this country, the same guys who when they feel a slight headache charter a plane to Singapore for US$500 000 to buy paracetamol there. They live abroad and get everything from socks to expensive luxury cars outside the country while we have to face this.
They're out of touch with the masses because they don't go to the same hospitals we do, don't get meagre RTGS$ salaries like us and have to buy everything in US$," said the police officer.
The overwhelmed station allegedly sent an urgent SOS to government on Saturday and still awaits a response.
Landlords started charging US$ last month in the resort town as the local RTGS$ continues losing value daily.
The lowest paid police officer is said to be earning about RTGS$500 monthly, about US$70 on the parallel market which is the only source of forex for ordinary citizens.
The cheapest house is being rented out at about US$50- about RTGS$350.
The RTGS that traded at 1:1 with the greenback at the beginning of the year is now pushing towards the 1:8 mark.
"President Mnangagwa is totally clueless about how to fix this economy and the situation is deteriorating daily. All he does is get quoted in the media warning those who increase prices and promising to stop the spate of price hikes. The truth on the ground is that things are going up everyday and citizens have become destitute.
"Most of us have been kicked out by landlords because we simply cannot afford the rentals. We can't really blame landlords because they buy from the same supermarkets that we buy from and prices have been pegged in US$ and have gone through the roof in RTGS$ terms. They also have to get a return on their properties," said a police officer who cannot be named for professional reasons.
Another officer said tents and space have actually run out as evicted cops were flooding the station with their properties and families.
The officer said he was pained by the fact that the presidium was sitting pretty while everyone else was suffering.
"I'm deeply hurt because president Mnangagwa and his deputies Chiwenga and Mohadi are unmoved by our plight. These are the guys who have destroyed everything in this country, the same guys who when they feel a slight headache charter a plane to Singapore for US$500 000 to buy paracetamol there. They live abroad and get everything from socks to expensive luxury cars outside the country while we have to face this.
They're out of touch with the masses because they don't go to the same hospitals we do, don't get meagre RTGS$ salaries like us and have to buy everything in US$," said the police officer.
Source - Byo24News
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