adminTemba Dube Senior Reporter
POLICE have come out guns blazing against Cosmas Mbonjani, the chairperson of the Greater Harare Association of Commuter Omnibus Operators (GHACO), alleging he untruthfully told parliament that half of the commuter omnibuses in the capital were owned by police officers.
Mbonjani told the Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Development that police at roadblocks were targeting kombis owned by civilians as a way of eliminating competition.
He said the situation was fuelling corruption and enriching police officers.
‘We have many police officers who own kombis. We can actually put it at 50-50 with us,” Mbonjani said.
Police have not been amused by the allegations with national police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi yesterday saying Mbonjani’s accusations bordered on mischief and were meant to bring the name of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) into disrepute.
He challenged Mbonjani to prove his claims. “The correct position is that 459 police officers in Zimbabwe own a total of 647 commuter omnibuses, which constitutes only eight percent of Harare’s commuter omnibus population currently standing at 6,000 commuter omnibuses,” said Chief Supt Nyathi in a statement.
“While corrective measures are being taken by the police command to ensure there is no conflict of interest, we challenge Cosmas Mbonjani to bring to the fore statistical figures and names to substantiate his claims.”
Chief Supt Nyathi said Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri had constituted a board of enquiry to look into allegations of corruption by the police.
He said the findings of the board had prompted Comm Gen Chihuri to ban police officers from owning kombis.
Comm Gen Chihuri gave those who owned kombis or pirate taxis two months to wind up their businesses.
“Cognisant of the board’s findings, the Commissioner General of Police has thus directed that with immediate effect, no police officer will engage in any form of public service vehicle passenger carrying business. This measure is meant to ensure that there is no conflict of interest with the officers’ constitutional mandate as provided for by the constitution of Zimbabwe,” said Chief Supt Nyathi.
He added: “The measure is also meant to ensure that police officers do not engage in corrupt and other nefarious activities associated with operation and ownership of transport business and other related vice.”
Online Reporter