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Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
Two police constables were recently arrested for demanded $500 as “processing fees” from a Harare man who had applied to join the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

Flater Banda and Paul Vuzuwa, both stationed at the Police General Headquarters recruiting office, asked Lloyd Tarirai to pay $500 as processing fees for him to be recruited.

Banda yesterday appeared before magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe charged with criminal abuse of duty as a public officer.

He was remanded to July 28 on $100 bail while his alleged accomplice, Vuzuwa is already on remand.

Prosecuting, Ms Sharon Mashavira alleged that sometime in May last year Tarirai applied to join the Zimbabwe Republic Police and went through all the procedures, which he passed.

On July 16 this year he was ordered to report to Morris Depot for recr- uitment.

It is alleged upon his arrival, Tarirai was advised by Constable Gilbert Bere, who is also based at PGHQ recruiting office, that his file was missing.

Tarirai then informed his brother Simon who then called his friend, Vuzuwa, also a recruiting officer.

Vuzuwa, in connivance with Banda, later phoned Simon and told him that Tarirai’s file was not missing, but that $500 was needed for the file to be processed by Banda.

On July 17 Tarirai and his brother made further enquiries at the PGHQ’s Press and Public Relations department where they were told that recruitment into the force did not require any money.

They were referred to PGHQ’s internal investigations and a trap was set.

Simon later phoned Vuzuwa and advised him that he had managed to raise $300 and was going to pay the balance later, the court heard.

They met in town where Vuzuwa was handed over the trap money, leading to his arrest by detectives who were monitoring the transaction from a distance.

He implicated Banda and text messages were found in Vuzuwa’s cellphone in which he was communicating with Banda about the issue.