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Trust Freddy-Herald Correspondent

Police officers engaging in extortion and other corrupt activities, particularly those targeting motorists, will be hunted down, Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga has said, with his warning backed by recent arrests.

In the latest operation, traffic officers exposed in a video circulating on social media accepting bribes from kombis, pirate taxis and registered public service vehicles at Mabvuku Turn-off along Harare-Mutare Road, have been arrested.

Sergeant James Chifamba and Constable Trymore Gunzva were caught on a secret camera recording allegedly taking bribes while on duty with a police motorbike.

The video footage appears to show drivers handing over suspected bribe money, with the recorder’s voiceover claiming that the officers had accepted bribes from over 10 motorists.

In a statement yesterday, national police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrests, adding that the Comm-Gen Matanga had a zero tolerance towards police officers who engage in corrupt activities.

“Reference is made to the viral social media post which clearly showed two police officers on a Zimbabwe Republic Police motorbike taking bribes from pirate kombis, taxis and registered public service vehicles along Harare-Mutare Road at Mabvuku Turn-off.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police informs the public that Sergeant Chifamba and Constable Gunzva have been arrested and are now in detention. They are facing both disciplinary and criminal charges. These are bad apples who do not deserve to be serving in the police.

“The Commissioner-General of Police does not condone corruption by any police officer and will ensure that the law takes its course without fear or favour.”

Meanwhile, the move has brought a sigh of relief to motorists and pedestrians in Harare as corrupt police officers who let illegal pirate taxis operate with impunity are finally being held accountable.

The rogue officers often allowed pirate taxis to flout traffic laws, posing a risk to pedestrians and law-abiding drivers, particularly in the city centre.

Residents have long urged authorities to halt the influx of illegal pirate taxis into the city centre, but these vehicles persistently bypass checkpoints, reportedly due to corrupt practices involving police officers, and through their more extreme reckless driving create not just more danger but more competition for the registered, licensed and large law abiding, or at least more law abiding, kombi operators.

A motorist Mr Moses Marodza said the video exposé was merely the tip of the iceberg, alleging widespread corruption among traffic police.

“The police must implement robust monitoring measures for officers on traffic duty, as this clip suggests each officer could be pocketing hundreds of dollars daily.

“Just imagine that in less than five minutes, they had collected bribes from five motorists and how much will be collected in an hour?” Marodza said.

Another resident, Ms Yvonne Kwenda, commended the Police Commissioner-General, stating that illegal pirate taxis should never be allowed to enter the city centre.

“The moment you see police officers playing a cat-and-mouse game in the CBD, it means they would have been let in by their fellow colleagues at a certain roadblock,” Ms Kwenda said.

“They must continue punishing rogue police officers if we are to effectively deal with illegal pirate taxis.”

Mr Blessing Matimba said: “They should arrest both parties to kill corruption. Civilians sometimes lure law enforcement agents to take bribes.”

Ms Gloria Zhou said all Zimbabweans should put their phones into good use by exposing corrupt activities.

“As Zimbabweans, we also have a crucial role to play, particularly in holding corrupt police officers in the Zimbabwe Republic Police accountable. By doing so, we can create a safer and more orderly environment on our roads.”