A COMMUTER omnibus conductor, Goodwill Mlambo, yesterday explained how police officers manning a roadblock along Bulawayo’s Masiyephambili Road always threatened to drive them out of business if they did not pay bribes.
BY SILAS NKALA
Mlambo said this while testifying in court in a case in which five police officers based at Nkulumane Traffic Police section in Bulawayo are being charged with collecting over $150 in bribes.
The five — Assistant Inspector Zodwa Takawira (29), Constables Zvinoitirweyi Masakwata (29), Severino Mutore (26) Courage Lice (27) and Hilda Murombedzi (24) — pleaded not guilty to the charge when they appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Merylin Mutshina.
In their defence, they said they never flagged down the kombi and the allegations were just fabricated against them to cover up for a foiled investigation to prove claims that they were collecting bribes.
The State, led by Kudakwashe Jaravaza, called Mlambo as the first witness.
He told the court that he had complained to the Police General Headquarters that, as kombi operators, they were being forced to pay bribes by police details at roadblocks.
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“On October 5, police from Harare headquarters called telling us they had arrived,” Mlambo said.
“We then met them and they got into our kombi before giving me a 50 pula note, which they wanted me to pay as a bribe to prove that our claims were true. We drove to the roadblock with the plain clothes police officers.”
He said at the roadblock, the driver was flagged down by one police officer, who directed him to park on the side of the road before he could disembark.
Mlambo then went to where the rest of the police officers were standing.
“I gave the money to accused one (Takawira), who gave it to accused five (Murombedzi) before she could give me $2 change,” Mlambo said.
“It is at that time after I left the police officers when the detectives, who were in the kombi, got out and arrested them. They recovered the money in a paper bag from them and took us together with the accused persons to Nkulumane Police Station, where a report was made.”
Mlambo said the police officers told them that the payment of bribes by kombi crews must be done daily.
“The police officers said this must be done every day, saying there was no vehicle without defects. They said if we are rude, we will not operate because they will always issue us with tickets,” he said.
Mlambo said he always refused to pay bribes, hence he received tickets daily.
The matter was remanded to November 26. The accused are all out of custody on free bail.
