THE Christmas holiday is upon us and the statistics on the roads already make scary reading. We are not talking road fatalities here, but the number of road blocks on the highways!
Zimbabweans in the nearby Diaspora are already pouring over the borders on their way home. If their posts on social media are anything to go by, then the cheer is fast becoming a festive jeer.
Injiva travel home for the long holiday, doing so in fear and trepidation, not of carjacking or thugs, but of the police. They are running the gauntlet of an average of one roadblock for every 20 kilometres. That is what people are posting on Facebook. Twenty-five roadblocks from Beitbridge to Bulawayo.
More than 18 roadblocks between Harare and Bulawayo on a ‘normal’ day, nine between Harare and Marondera, seven roadblocks in the Highlands/Chisipite area alone. KoBulawayo akukhulunywa. The City of Kings has been under siege from beyond when we could still remember.
It is well understood that during the festive season, it has become necessary for the police to conduct special operations as a way of reducing accidents and save lives and limbs.
But the above statistics tell a different story. Members of the public argue that there is no proof that high numbers of roadblocks have led to a corresponding decrease in accidents and crime.
Angry motorists critical of the modus operandi of cops at these barriers say it’s ‘Operation Thatha Imali/Tora Mari.’ In fact, in July this year we read with horror an admission by a senior police officer that indeed they were mounting roadblocks to raise money to fund their operations.
The reason? “We are not getting a cent from Treasury,” admitted the anonymous senior cop.
That having been said, what really gets at motorists and their passengers alike is the ‘malicious overzealousness’ displayed by traffic police.
Even parliamentarians have had very few kind words for ‘a force’ that breeds corruption through roadblocks as ‘fundraising methods’.
At one time, former Finance Minister Tendai Biti weighed in by saying roadblocks had become the ATMs (Automated Teller Machines) of certain members of society.
For argument’s sake, how much of productive time is lost to the country if commuters travelling from Luveve or Chitungwiza are stopped at at least five roadblocks on their way to work?
Is it because the police do not see the link or that they simply refuse to. That being besides the point, the main gripe with traffic police is why they intensify operations so soon after constructive criticism. If a very public institution like the police are above the oversight of parliament which represents members of the public, then who do they answer to, if we were to ask a stupid question?
The increase in the number of roadblocks has struck terror on drivers of foreign registered vehicles. This is hitting tourism below the belt. They have become sitting ducks or moving targets for traffic cops.
They are known to have the propensity of parting with huge sums of money when cornered just to escape the inconvenience of delays. ‘Money for a coke’ has become the slogan. One such driver remarked on Facebook if the bottlers of Coca Cola knew that the price of their product was upwards of R200 at a roadblock.
This should worry the Ministers of Tourism and Foreign Affairs because among the worst verdicts about Zimbabwean hospitality is the mistreatment of foreigners at roadblocks that, for some reason, are strategically located near tourist resorts.
Australia issued a travel warning on Zimbabwe sometime back that read: ‘Roadblocks are very common throughout Zimbabwe and can appear with little warning.’
One tourist even wrote on his blog that the highlights of his long-planned trip to Zimbabwe were the numerous roadblocks he encountered where the reception ranged from disarmingly polite to downright rude.
In fact, so polite was one officer that after fleecing the bemused visitor of $20 for missing reflectors, he wished him ‘a pleasant stay.’ Former police spokesman James Sabau once said the police were not violating the civil rights of members of the public because ‘the law allowed them to do so.’
But doesn’t it follow then that the chief of police should give due respect to the mandate of MPs to change a patently bad law and so debate it openly without being called names?
A contentious issue has always been the police insisting that motorists pay fines on the spot. This lends credence to stories of officers going on fishing expeditions around the car looking for an offence to charge a driver for.
Many a driver has spoken of a police officer’s ‘Aha!’ moment when he or she eventually discovers something amiss.
As if to cover up for the bad publicity these roadblocks have generated for the force, we have encountered officers who are so professional as to be insidious in their efficiency.
Like when the officer introduces him or herself and then instructs you, albeit very politely, to ‘pull your car off the road and await an officer who will DEAL with you!
That expression alone has so many connotations and none of them positive. Psychologically, this is intended to reduce the driver to the level of an insect.
Corruption takes two to tango. The way one is manoeuvred into bribing an officer leaves no doubt whatsoever. Another thing, can the officers ‘soliciting and collecting bribes’ please do it more discreetly. You never know who is watching in these days of social media. For all their sins, the police are a necessary evil. As drivers and passengers, let us exercise responsibility when we are on the roads.
It remains to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2017. Meet you on the other side.