Roadblocks are just too many
I WRITE to seek protection from the Minister of Home Affairs on the actions and behaviour of the police on our roads.
In Bulawayo, any road leading out of the city centre during the day has a police roadblock. I live 9km along Gwanda road. I often encounter two roadblocks. I often travel to Mbalabala, 60km from Bulawayo and encounter six roadblocks. I also travel to Inyathi along Nkayi road and to Thekwane 112km from Bulawayo. From Bulawayo to Badala on Nkayi road, there are six roadblocks and from Bulawayo to Thekwane there are eight roadblocks.
At these roadblocks, most of which there is no indication of Police Ahead, police ranging from three to 10 in number ask for any of the following; driver’s licence, fire extinguisher, vehicle licence, certificate of Motor insurance, 3rd number plate, spare wheel, check breaks, lights, etc. So from Bulawayo to Mbalalabala I get stopped for the same things six times, Bulawayo to Inyathi six times and from Bulawayo to Thekwane eight times. I find this extremely harassing. Anything amiss attracts a spot fine, there is no caution.
I am reliably informed that the situation is the same across the country with police demanding spot fines for any offence. High Court Judges have said that spot fines are illegal. The law enforcement agents are clearly being defiant in my view. If you resist payment of the spot fine, the police punish you. They detain you at the roadblock for quite some time and proceed to detain you at the police station for some time also. As a helpless motorist you would rather pay the fine and go.
Of late the V.I.D has joined the spree. They are stopping motorists and checking our cars supposedly for road worthiness. But alas, it is the roads that are so unworthy that we drive our cars on, these roads at our own risk. Certainly the roads to Nkayi , Tsholotsho and Maphisa fall in this category let alone the road from Plumtree to Thekwane which is arguably the worst road in the country. May you kindly assist sir, we need your protection as citizens of this country. Joshua S Mpofu, Riverside, Bulawayo.