Zim cops raking it in
Zimbabwe's police officers are raking in about N$800.6 million from roadblock fines each year - and it's making them extremely unpopular.
...And that doesn't include bribes.
The figure is all the more significant given Zimbabwe's small population of around 14 million.
The private News Day on Wednesday quoted top home affairs official Melusi Matshiya confirming the figure and the fact that roadblock fees are retained for use by the police force and other departments in the ministry including the immigration department.
He said all the money collected was “properly accounted for”. Zimbabwe's police demand fines are paid on the spot, despite the current cash shortages. Locals complain that police sometimes pre-set speed cameras and extort fines for nebulous offences like not having a long enough piece of reflective tape along the side of a cab or having a dirty car.
By way of comparison, the UK was reported in 2014 to have amassed a total of N$746 million from speeding fines over a four-year period, according to the Telegraph.
The state ZBC broadcaster said on Tuesday that police will soon have swipe machines at roadblocks so that fines can be paid with a bank card.
NEWS24
...And that doesn't include bribes.
The figure is all the more significant given Zimbabwe's small population of around 14 million.
The private News Day on Wednesday quoted top home affairs official Melusi Matshiya confirming the figure and the fact that roadblock fees are retained for use by the police force and other departments in the ministry including the immigration department.
He said all the money collected was “properly accounted for”. Zimbabwe's police demand fines are paid on the spot, despite the current cash shortages. Locals complain that police sometimes pre-set speed cameras and extort fines for nebulous offences like not having a long enough piece of reflective tape along the side of a cab or having a dirty car.
By way of comparison, the UK was reported in 2014 to have amassed a total of N$746 million from speeding fines over a four-year period, according to the Telegraph.
The state ZBC broadcaster said on Tuesday that police will soon have swipe machines at roadblocks so that fines can be paid with a bank card.
NEWS24
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