National Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba yesterday said police had launched an investigation into the case where traffic cops nearly lost about $2 000 stolen money, to a 10-year-old girl Nodia Gozho.
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Charamba said she would issue a statement on the matter today. This comes amid unconfirmed reports that at least two traffic cops involved in the bribe-taking scandal have been arrested and are locked up at undisclosed locations in Harare.
The two are said to be members of the Police Traffic section based in Gutu and Masvingo.
The money, believed to have been part of a bribe loot from motorists, was found in a rubbish pit near a roadblock in Beatrice by the 10-year-old scavenging for valuables along the highway last month.
The “lucky” girl and her friends are children of labourers from the nearby Gilston Farm.
The girl handed over the money to her mother, but police later made a follow-up and forced them to hand it back.
Police sources told NewsDay yesterday that two of the police officers, one from Gutu and another from Masvingo, had been arrested over the matter.
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“Two of the officers who were manning that roadblock have been arrested,” the source who requested anonymity said.
“They are currently being held in police cells somewhere here in Harare.”
Charamba could neither confirm nor deny the alleged arrests, but said investigations were still underway.
“All I can say now is that Police are investigating the matter,” she said. Contacted later in the day, Charamba said a statement would be issued today.
Meanwhile, African Parliamentarians Against Corruption Zimbabwe Charter chairperson Willias Madzimure yesterday called for thorough investigations and the arrest of the police officers involved in the highway loot drama.
“The evidence is there was the police officers responsible should be investigated for corruption,” Madzimure said.
“If nothing happens and no arrests are effected it would be clear that we are in a state of kleptocracy where there is corruption. It is the responsibility of the Minister of Home Affairs to ensure arrests of those involved.
“How can police officers hide money in a rubbish pit? It is high time a motion is moved in Parliament to call for the investigations of issues of corporate governance by the ZRP. Our national budget will mean nothing if people are allowed to just get away with this.”
Details surrounding the incident are that the cops were, on December 24, manning a roadblock along the Harare-Masvingo road near Gilston Farm, some 40 km outside Harare when they hid the $2 000 loot in a rubbish pit nearby.
The 10-year-old discovered the $2 000 loot stashed in a plastic bag with wild fruit (matufu) and gave it to her mother.
Traffic police officers are not allowed to carry personal cash while on duty and are subjected to random spot checks by their superiors and the Anti-Corruption Commission in a bid to curb cases of bribery.
