Police officers in court for receiving bribes

FIVE traffic police officers from a Hatfield roadblock appeared in court yesterday on allegations of seeking and receiving bribes from illegal kombis and mushikashikas plying Harare roads during the ongoing blitz.

Kafesu Belinda, Calvin Zhou, Clemence Chirume, Tatenda Mugova and Sithandweyinkosi Thebe appeared in court the day after they were allegedly caught taking bribes on Tuesday at the intersection of Chiremba Road and Alexandra Drive in south-east Hatfield.

They were not asked to plead to their charges of criminal abuse of office as public officers when they appeared before regional magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje, who remanded them to May 16 on $20 000 bail each.

Mr Lancelot Mutsokoti, prosecuting, said that the five were stationed at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, but on Tuesday at around 6:19am were stationed along Chiremba Road shortly before it entered Epworth.

At that time, Superintended Albert Zhou and eight other officers from Police General Headquarters internal investigations were checking out Chiremba Road while on their routine duties.

They saw the five manning the roadblock at Chiremba Road and Alexandra Drive and noted that there were some non-Zupco kombis which were stopping at the road block, with the conductors getting out and seeing Chirume before climbing aboard and driving off.

The team then went to the roadblock and introduced themselves as police officers from PGHQ Internal Investigations before asking the five to declare their valuables.

Chirume allegedly took to his heels heading towards Widdicombe Primary School just down Alexandra Drive, with Chief Inspector Tomwe, Assistant Inspector Mutemaringa, Assistant Inspector Demba and Sergeant Tazviguta in hot pursuit.

When they grabbed him they found him in possession of US$118, $12 780 and R100.

This was considered evidence that they were collecting money and so led to the arrest of the five.