Stand up to corruption, Zimra says

Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) commissioner general Faith Mazani has urged people to stand up against corruption and stand up to police officers who demand customs clearance documents from them.

“Let’s stand up to corruption. Police are not supposed to demand customs clearance documents,” she said.

She was responding to a suggestion put to her at the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Zimbabwe annual conference dinner in Nyanga.

It had been suggested that Zimra train police on customs clearance documents as it often happened that clearance would be obtained from the customs department at the border but police would later stop the vehicle in which the cleared goods were, demand to see the clearance documents and then insist they were not in order.

Mazani said Zimra would not train police on customs documents as it was not their business to deal with customs clearance documents and they were not supposed to demand them.

She said police could investigate if they suspected customs officials had committed an offence but she suggested that most people knew why police officers demanded such documents, implying it was to solicit a bribe.

They should stand up to such policemen. Unless people were bold enough to stand up against corruption, nothing would change, she said.