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Many Zimbabwean motorists must have heaved a huge sigh of relief to read in this newspaper yesterday that the police would soon stop demanding spot fines at roadblocks for offences committed by drivers or for defects identified on their vehicles. The happy prospect was disclosed by Home Affairs minister Dr Ignatius Chombo in response to a question by MDC-T Senator for Matabeleland North Mrs Sithembile Mlotshwa.

The Senator had asked what the purpose of roadblocks was and what Government was doing about widespread allegations of corruption in the Zimbabwe Republic Police, particularly the traffic section which mounts roadblocks.

Dr Chombo stated that roadblocks were mounted to check for defects on vehicles, to detect those driving vehicles which are either not registered or are stolen. Roadblocks also help in controlling driver speeds on national highways which have been blamed for most road fatalities. There are also people who venture on to the road without competency licences.

Many drivers would likely be aware of all these positives.

The relief comes from the issue of spot fines, where police officers manning a roadblock demand immediate payment for whatever offence might be detected on the vehicle or committed by the driver himself. The trouble is that few ordinary drivers move around with more than $20 on them.

If they have, it most likely has a specific purpose. That means most such drivers don’t have extra money to pay for offences they did not anticipate when they left their homes. Lately the practice by the police is to ask the driver to show them the driver’s licence.

That has become a form of a trap.

Once the officer has your licence you are deemed guilty and at their mercy. You can’t get it back until you pay whatever they declare to be the charge for the offence. If you tell them you don’t have the cash the officer will then threaten to have your vehicle detained at their police station until you pay.

While many people appreciate the overall purpose of roadblocks on national highways, it is the inconvenience that comes with having so many of them, and the police looking for so many little things that they are bound to find you on the wrong side of the law.

Lots of man-hours are lost during the morning rush hour as people try to get to work on time. It is at that time that police feel they can force motorists to part with their cash because they are trying to get to work. It is an unfair practice by the police.

At the roadblock the police will ask for your driver’s licence, a ZBC radio licence, the two breakdown reflective triangles, a reflective vest, a specific type of fire extinguisher, a spare wheel, check brakes and indicators, reflectors on the vehicle bumpers and many more.

They are bound somehow to find something amiss. Then they want an immediate payment. The reasons police give are that there are people who give them fake residential addresses and that it is costly to track down such traffic offenders.

Valid though such reasons might be, it is hard to tell whether on a balance of probability the misdeeds of a few offenders is worth the ill-will caused by police behaviour towards the rest of otherwise well-meaning drivers.

Dr Chombo also pointed out that spot fines were being stopped because they fuelled corruption. Which is true, because the worker who is being inconvenienced and delayed to work, instead of parting with $20 for the alleged offence, which he/she doesn’t have, would rather part with $5 or $2 meant for lunch, to earn his freedom.

We therefore commend the Minister for trying to restore sanity to our roads. That might also help improve the once cordial relations between motorists and the ZRP.