BULAWAYO’s small business owners have accused Drill Hall police officers of harassing them and demanding bribes of up to US$30 to allow them to continue operating in their spaces.
A stall owner who operates at the National Railways of Zimbabwe building said they were being targeted by the police if they refuse not comply.
“We pay them everyday because they threaten to evict us from our places of work. How can we go against the police, they have all the power? We sometimes wish to report the issue, but it’s of no use, nothing will change as the same officers are the ones that we report the cases to at Drill Hall. They will just laugh at us, and that is why we want to make the matter public so that the police in higher places can do something about it,” she told Southern Eye.
Dumisani Sibanda, who indicated that he was not afraid to speak up, said: “We cannot keep working for the police. Enough is enough; this has been going on for a very long time. We now work to pay them bribes. We tried negotiating with them to charge us a reasonable fee, but they refused.”
A Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) representative, who preferred to remain anonymous, said they received complaints from stall owners.
“This matter was reported to us because they wanted our help. They said they do not want to report it because nothing will change as policemen support each other,” the BPRA representative said.
Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube only said: “I am not aware of the issue.”
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