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Commuters who include workers and school children from Nketa, Emganwini and Nkulumane in Bulawayo were on Monday morning left stranded when commuter omnibus operators pulled their vehicles off the road in protest against alleged harassment by police. The kombi crews alleged police were demanding a lot of money making their operations unviable.
The protestors even blocked private vehicle, that wanted to provide transport to stranded commuters as they wanted the impact to be felt and probably attract the attention of senior police officers.
The officer commanding Nkulumane district, Chief Superintendent Mthokozisi Manzini Moyo, later addressed the protestors and promised that a meeting would be held between the commuter omnibus operators, the police and officials from the Bulawayo City Council.
According to the omnibus operators, police demanded bribes ranging between $3 and $20. They said because of the police demands, it was no longer viable to operate kombis. The operators said at times they paid police officers more money than they gave the owners of the kombis on a daily basis. The Monday incident should have shaken police authorities in Bulawayo and they should be keen to get to the bottom of the problem.
The kombi crews’ claims cannot be dismissed without conducting thorough investigations to establish whether or not the claims are true. The Bulawayo boycott comes a few weeks after a similar protest in Plumtree town against police officers who were also accused of demanding bribes.
Allegations of corruption against traffic police officers have come from various quarters of our society and it will not help police authorities to pretend everything is normal. The police should move in and get rid of the bad apples within their ranks. Police officers that are demanding bribes should be weeded out because they are soiling the good name of the police force.
The police have in the past launched a crackdown on corrupt traffic police officers and arrested a number who were caught red-handed demanding bribes or with bribe money.
It is not in dispute that police are demanding bribes at roadblocks but the force is challenged to come up with counter measures.
The roadblocks should serve their purpose of regulating traffic as well as ensuring that traffic rules and regulations are adhered to and not to fundraise for individual police officers as it seems to be the case now. We want at this juncture to implore police authorities to ensure measures are taken to restore public confidence especially in traffic police officers.
The motoring public should once again be very happy to see traffic police officers on our roads attending to errant drivers. It should be the duty of traffic police officers to tame the traffic jungle as opposed to demanding bribes.
Motorists on their part should refuse to pay bribes and report culprits demanding bribes at the nearest police station.
There might be a need to effect a citizen’s arrest on corrupt police officers. We want to once again call on the police authorities to, without delay investigate, allegations levelled against police officers by Monday’s protestors.
Online Reporter