16 March 2022
1700hrs CAT
Zim GBC News
Vimbayi Mahachi
www.zimgbcmedia.co.zw
When the politics of the stomach takes root, it is of no consequence if one is a law enforcer, the stomach will growl and need filling.
With incapacitating salaries of Zimbabwe ‘s civil service, the police have long joined the band wagon of illicit activities so as to augument their merge remuneration.
The corrupt activities of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, ZRP, personnel came to the fore at the reign of exiled former Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri.
Traffic roadblocks were set up on every aspect of the Zimbabwean road network, for the sole purpose of soliciting bribes from motorists all in the guise of enforcing traffic laws.
The system became so embedded to a point that these roadblocks were set up less than 20 kilometers apart.
It became a “norm” to observe police personal setting up roadblocks at robot controlled intersections.
Once again corrupt activities were practiced at the height were the government ’employed’ police officers as prosecutors of the Courts of Zimbabwe.
Court cases were ‘decided’ by arresting police officers who were in cahoots with their colleagues who were prosecutors.
The legal profession was thus subjected to degraded status.
The same government employees who are supposed to uphold the law and serve the Service motto;
Pro Lege, Pro Patria, Pro Populo
For Law, For Country, For People
are the very same people who are trampling on the morals and values of the Police Force.
Three police officers in Bulawayo have been arraigned before the courts of law for going directly opposite the law they are supposed to uphold.
Residents of Pumula East in Bulawayo this week arrested three police officers for stealing electricity copper cables in the vast western suburb.
Nelson Musharurwa, a resident from the same surbub was sleeping in the early hours of the morning on Sunday when he was disturbed from sleep by some strange sounds outside.
On investigating Musharurwa noticed that something heavy had been dragged past his yard, he thus screamed to his neighbours to alert them of the suspected theft.
When other residents awoke they picked up a trail and discovered 34 meters of overhead 2.5mm cables and 76 meters of single core cables dumped in a maize field. One of the residents also located a police cap and a wallet with an identity document for one Tapiwa Taruberekera.
Another search party Smart Dube, using his vehicle during the search, found a Toyota Starlet which was parked at a desolate place.
The car it later ensued, is owned by Constable Tapiwa Taruberekera of Pumula Police Station.
The alert residents managed to arrest three electricity cable theives meted instant justice before handing them to the police.
This comes at the backdrop of army personnel who have been found wanting. In the recent past retired and serving soldiers as well as some police officers have been engaging in armed robberies.
The police force is part of the public service and in Zimbabwe most civil servants are not earning a decent salary, this has contributed to these service men to embark on robbery sprees, just to make ends meet.
Of late areas like Kingsdale and Northvale Suburbs in Bulawayo are constantly experiencing electrical power blackouts because of copper cables thefts.
While the ZRP has been trying to bring to book electricity copper cables, the feat has been elusive.
The reason why it has been difficult to curtail electric copper cable wires has since emerged, the culprits have been the Police members all along.
Tapiwa Taruberekera and two other police officers, Constable Rodrick Tavuyanago 34, and Constable Kudzai Wemba 33, were arrested and have been denied bail at the Western Commnoage Magistrate Courts for continuation of trail.
The copper cables typically end up with unscrupulous scrap dealers who smelt it, turn it into ingots and granules, before smuggling it to South Africa where there is a ready market.
Through their experience as investigators, Police officers know who deals in these stolen coppers cables, as such it was easy for the police trio to dabble into the crime.
Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority sent its loss control officer to the scene to assess the damage as several houses lost power through this vandalism.
The cost of the would be stolen cables was estimated at US$7000.00
The vandalism of ZESA infrastructure is rampant across the country, costing power utility millions of dollars annually.
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