Fake cops raid vendors

Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Court Reporter

TWO Bulawayo men, one of them a member of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), allegedly masqueraded as police officers and swooped on illegal vendors near Tredgold Building in an early morning “raid” before confiscating their wares.

Pirukai Jameson (32), a soldier who resides in Queens Park East and Mike Chiwanza (30) of Queens Park West appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Lizwe Jamela facing charges of impersonating a police officer.

They were remanded to January 30 for trial.

The prosecutor Mr Terrence Chakabuda said on January 22 at around 2AM, the two accused persons spotted some illegal vendors selling their wares outside Tredgold Building at intersection of  Fort Street and Leopold Takawira Avenue in Bulawayo’s Central Business District.

They confronted the complainants and demanded their operators’ licences.

“The accused persons approached the complainants and enquired about the prices of some drinks and bread that they were selling,” said Mr Chakabuda.

The court heard that soon after the complainants gave the two accused persons the prices of their commodities, they immediately demanded their vending licences and medical examination reports allowing them to sell food stuffs.

When the complainants failed to produce the required licences, the accused persons immediately confiscated their goods and ordered them to follow them to the Bulawayo Central Police Station.

“The complainants told the accused persons that they did not have the documents, Jameson and Chiwanza introduced themselves as police officers who had just been transferred to the Bulawayo Central Police Station,” said Mr Chakabuda.

They ordered the vendors to surrender their wares and demanded that they follow them to Bulawayo Central Police Station.

However, when one of the complainants demanded to see their police identity cards, Jameson produced his ZNA identity card.

The complainant became suspicious and reported the matter to the police leading to the arrest of the two accused persons. — @mashnets