Police allowed to retain fines revenue, Parly told

Affairs Minister Theresa Makone has said.

Minister Makone said this in the House of Assembly on Wednesday while responding to a question from Zengeza West MP Collen Gwiyo (MDC-T) who wanted to know if the money collected by the police was remitted to Treasury.

This comes as a major blow to the MDC-T whose Standing committee recently tasked Finance Minister Tendai Biti to take the matter to Cabinet.
Minister Makone is a member of the standing committee.

The party’s national standing committee wanted Minister Biti who is their secretary general to table in Cabinet a proposal that money generated from tollgates, traffic offences and passport fees go to treasury so it could be used to pay civil servants.

However, Minister Makone said: “My understanding is that we have been given the permission to retain all of the collections that we make. This was done during the time of hyper-inflation and no adjustments have been made for us to remit anything to the Ministry of Finance.

“For the time being, the correct position is that we are retaining for use within the ZRP any amount that we collect, but obviously the figures are audited. The truth is that we do not have to remit anything, for the time being, to the Ministry of Finance.”

Minister Makone also said it was not mandatory for motorists to pay spot fines.
“There is no real law in Zimbabwe that says fines should be paid on the spot. What if you don’t have the money on you?

“I think there is an obligation on our part to give a ticket to the offender whereby you can then be given maybe seven days within which to pay your fine. It is not mandatory that you pay on the spot,” she said.
She also said the ban on public transport in areas surrounding Chiadzwa mining fields was done to protect the nation’s interests. She was responding to Mutare West legislator, Mr Shuah Mudiwa (MDC-T).

“I want to ask the Co-Minister of Home Affairs is she is aware that the people in Mutsago, Mukwanda and Chiadzwa are walking distances of 20km to get to and from their homes when travelling to and from Mutare because the police are denying public transport entrance into these areas?” asked Mr Mudiwa.

In her response, Minister Makone said: “The areas are located in a diamond zone and in the interest of State security, public transport cannot be allowed as this would invite a situation that prevailed in 2008 prior to a police operation code-named ‘Hakudzo-kwi’. The operation was meant to rid the area of illegal diamond panners.

“Then, about 40 buses plied the routes and in most cases ferrying the illegal panners. The enforcement of the ban of public transport in the area has seen a lull in cases of illegal diamond panning,” she said.

 

 

 

Minister Makone said police allow locals to register their vehicles and renew the registration on a monthly basis to drive in the area.