By By Ross Moyo
Sergeant James Chifamba and Constable Trymore Gunzva will rue the day they started taking bribes and refused to be content with their civil servant salary and benefits after they were caught on a secret camera recording allegedly taking bribes while on duty with a police motorbike.
The Video footage which gave away the bribe-taking cops, a Sergeant and his junior who salutes him a Constable tainted the police force image which caused their boss to descend harshly without fear or favour on officers engaging in extortion and other corrupt activities, particularly those targeting motorists, to be hunted down, according to the Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga giving a stern warning backed by arrests of the latest culprits as confirmed by police national spokesperson, Commissioner Paul Nyathi.
Traffic officers were exposed in a video circulating on social media accepting bribes from kombis, pirate taxis and registered public service vehicles at Mabvuku Turn-off along Harare-Mutare Road, and were arrested in the latest operation.
In the video footage circulating on social media, drivers handing over suspected bribe money, with the recorder’s voiceover claiming that the officers had accepted bribes from over 10 motorists is seen on whatsapp platforms, facebook, twitter and ticktock.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrests, adding that the Comm-Gen Matanga had a zero tolerance towards police officers who engage in corrupt activities.
“Reference is made to the viral social media post which clearly showed two police officers on a Zimbabwe Republic Police motorbike taking bribes from pirate kombis, taxis and registered public service vehicles along Harare-Mutare Road at Mabvuku Turn-off.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police informs the public that Sergeant Chifamba and Constable Gunzva have been arrested and are now in detention. They are facing both disciplinary and criminal charges. These are bad apples who do not deserve to be serving in the police.
“The Commissioner-General of Police does not condone corruption by any police officer and will ensure that the law takes its course without fear or favour.”
This move brought a sigh of relief to motorists and pedestrians in Harare as corrupt police officers who let illegal pirate taxis operate with impunity are finally being held accountable.
These bad apples officers often allowed pirate taxis to flout traffic laws, posing a risk to pedestrians and law-abiding drivers, particularly in the city centre.
Motorists and residents have long urged authorities to halt the influx of illegal pirate taxis into the city centre, but these vehicles persistently bypass checkpoints, reportedly due to corrupt practices involving such rogue police officers, and through their more extreme reckless driving create not just more danger but more competition for the registered, licensed and large law abiding, or at least more law abiding, kombi operators.
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