INFORMAL traders have claimed that police officers were forcing them to buy raffle tickets for the Commissioner-General, Augustine Chihuri’s Funfair.
By NQOBANI NDLOVU
The funfair is a regular on the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) calendar.
Vendors who spoke to Southern Eye claimed police officers were moving around vending stalls in the high density suburbs and the city centre forcing them to buy the raffle tickets costing $2 each.
“About seven police officers mounting bicycles approached me and my colleagues at Entumbane shopping centre. They produced the raffle tickets and asked each one of us to buy a ticket.
“When I told them that I did not have money to buy the tickets, they threatened to impound my goods and take me to Drill Hall police station to pay a fine for illegal vending,” one of the vendors at the shopping centre said.
The vendors alleged they were forced to buy the raffle tickets following the threats.
According to police sources at Bulawayo Central police station, each police officer at every police station has been allocated several tickets to sell to raise money for the funfair.
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While Bulawayo police spokesperson, Inspector Precious Simango was unreachable for comment, it is not the first time the allegations have been made against police officers.
Traffic officers manning roadblocks along the country’s major highways, have also been accused of coercing motorists to buy raffle tickets at the check points.
Police officers are reportedly also not happy with being forced to contribute their salaries, or to engage in fundraising activities for Chihuri’s funfair and other projects for their bosses.
Last month, a Bulawayo junior cop, Shepard Marufu dragged Home Affairs minister Ignatius Chombo and Chihuri to court for allegedly forcing him to “unlawfully” contribute part of his monthly salary towards funding projects he said benefit his bosses.
In papers before the court, Marufu who is attached to ZRP Support Unit in Bulawayo also admitted that police officers were forced to buy and sell raffle tickets three times a year.
“It is even more worrying that I am also being forced to buy and sell raffle tickets, which against my religion as it prohibits gambling,” stated Marufu in the court papers.
Marufu, in his founding affidavit, said his bosses created several money spinning projects to rip off their juniors by forcing them to make monthly contributions towards the projects.
Marufu through his lawyers, Mugiya and Macharaga Law Chambers, seeks an order declaring the contributions unlawful, and wants an order directing the Chihuri and Chombo to restitute al the money he was allegedly forced to contribute.
