PLOTHOLDERS in Bulawayo’s Kensington area have complained over rising crime rate after police officers abandoned their base in the area.
Kensington Plotholders Development Trust chairperson Leonard Mhlanga said it was not clear why police officers vacated their base.
“The police vacated the base and the land was then sold to one Mr Ndlovu. The way this was handled is very unclear,” Mhlanga told Southern Eye.
The matter was discussed at a meeting held on March 18, 2023.
According to minutes of the meeting, residents were still wondering why police vacated the area.
“The community demands to know why the police vacated the base ... The meeting demanded to know who the private occupant is and who gave him/her the permission to occupy State land,” the minutes read.
The police base was commissioned by government represented by the late Dumiso Dabengwa when he was Home Affairs minister.
The police base was built by the Kensington community.
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In an interview, Mhlanga said they recently engaged Hillside police over the matter, but they did not get satisfactory answers.
Contacted for comment, Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube said he was not aware of the matter.
“I am not aware of this, but I will look into it,” Ncube said.
The country has of late been witnessing a spike in violent crime, especially armed robberies.
