Online Reporter
WHEN the public sees uniformed police officers manning a checkpoint, there is an expectation of safety, law and order.
But for Constables Dennis Tafadzwa Chivaku and Sharon Madondo, their station near the Sunway City Special Economic Zone in Harare became a personal goldmine, and the law was the last thing on their minds.
Instead of upholding their sworn duties, the two officers turned into full-time tollgate attendants for an illegal operation, shamelessly collecting bribes from truck drivers poaching sand from the area.
Their fee? A flat US$5 per truck, cash on the spot, with no questions asked. They were supposed to stop the destruction of the land; instead, they gave it the greenlight, one bribe at a time.
The duo acted with such bold disregard for the law that it is hard to tell whether they were ignorant or simply arrogant. Either way, they became gatekeepers of a criminal enterprise, helping environmental criminals deplete natural resources for a few dirty dollars.
Like what every corrupt scheme eventually does, theirs crumbled. After a tip-off, anti-corruption authorities mounted a sting operation. It did not take long for the team to catch them red-handed, literally taking money from sand poachers while in full uniform.
The evidence was overwhelming, and so was their betrayal of public trust.
Tried and convicted at the Harare Magistrates’ Court, the pair were found guilty of criminal abuse of duty as public officers. They were each handed a four-year prison sentence, with one year suspended, meaning they will spend three solid years behind bars, far away from the roadside hustle they created.
For turning law enforcement into a side hustle, for aiding environmental destruction and for turning the public’s trust into pocket change, Chivaku and Madondo have rightfully earned their place in the list of disgraced officers. They now have three years to reflect on how they turned a national duty into a backdoor hustle.
Tinaye Agere
Online Reporter