Harare City Council suspends 8 traffic police officers for corruption

The Harare City Council has suspended eight traffic police officers for allegedly extorting money from motorists as it moves to deal with the vice which has taken root among the officials.

Council spokesperson Stanley Gama confirmed the development in a statement on Thursday.

“The City of Harare has noted with concern, serious transgressions and unprofessional conducts by some elements within the municipal police, some of which have been captured on various media platforms. To this end, the City has gathered evidence of illegal practices against at least 8 officers who have since been suspended while investigations continue. Some of them were identified by victims at a parade. They will go through the normal disciplinary hearings,” he said.

He said city mayor Jacob Mafume and town clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango are currently seized with the matter and appropriate action will be taken.

Gama said some municipal traffic police officers are terrorising residents by extorting money from motorists under the guise of havingarrested them for traffic violations.

He said motorists are experiencing all sorts of intimidation and threats of vehicles being impounded until they part with their money.

“We urge residents to report any cases of transgressions and criminal activities by our municipal police. In order to flush out these rogue elements, the City has since appointed an anti-corruption crack team that will react and investigate such reports with speed. The team will
also be carrying out operations to catch the criminals in the act,” he said.

Gama urged members of the public and the business community encountering suspicious demands from municipal police officers or council employees to report to the city council.

He said the City is also making name tags for municipal officers for easy identification by residents.

New Ziana