The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) have been accused of dubious and even illegal behaviour in their partnership to collect ZBC license fees from motorists.
Harare News received a letter from a reader complaining about mistreatment at one of the now very common ZRP/ZBC roadblocks. She stated that she had been stopped by a man – identified only as Sam as he refused to give his surname – and instructed to pay $30 for her license plus an additional $50 as a fine. She was told to phone a friend to bring the cash or to go to her bank to collect the money. She went to purchase a license at Newlands Post Office and returned to the roadblock. She then saw Sam getting into an unmarked pickup and proceeding to 27 Fleetwood Road. When she confronted him he said that he was only collecting money for a commission.
It seems that Sam was neither ZRP nor ZBC personnel but rather an agent outsourced to collect fines for a commission. Further investigation by Harare News found that 27 Fleetwood Road is occupied by two private companies with no apparent relationship to either ZRP or ZBC.
In an email response to Harare News on the subject, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) said, “There have been a number of cases which have involved fraud charges on these so-called license inspectors. Some of them have been brought in by the ZBC themselves…It’s times like these where one must insist that the police or ZBC inspector provide details of their rank, name and force number… Two inspectors were recently judged to have fraudulently issued ZBC licenses and pocketed large amounts of the money they received.” ZLHR added that even though Sam might have been a ZBC official, “the demand for a $50 spot fine far exceeded Sam’s authority.”
In addition, they explain that even the ZRP is unable to impose spot fines above $20, saying, “Fines higher than level 3 can only be imposed by a magistrate after a court appearance. The police may not insist on the payment of a spot fine where the road user is not in a position to do so immediately, or where the offense is being contested.”
The constitutionality of ZBC licenses has been called into question by Member of Parliament for Harare West, Jessie Majome. She challenged the right of the ZBC to compel Zimbabweans to pay license fees in the Constitutional Court in 2014. Majome argued that the partisan nature of the state broadcaster, which she believes represents only a small portion of Zimbabweans, violates Section 61 of the Constitution: Freedom of Information and the Media, and that ZBC have forfeited the right to receiving mandatory license fees from all citizens. Despite frequent promises for results, she has been waiting to receive the judgment since 12 November 2014.
Speaking to Harare News Majome said, “They (the Court) are buying time to allow ZBC to collect as much revenue as possible. Also, if they have issued a correct judgment it will upset a lot of power dynamics. But it is not acceptable to delay the issuing of a judgment by two years. This ties into the political abuse of the ZBC, and the courts themselves.”
Asked about the deployment of police to ZBC roadblocks, Majome said, “…I do not think it is the best deployment of a stretched police force to chase after ZBC licences and neglect other duties such as investigation of crimes and traffic control.”
Majome has boycotted ZBC license fees for two years. “At a roadblock, people must not hand over their driver’s licenses, and must insist on a ticket to take away and pay later. They (the authorities) are too lazy and disorganised to follow up,” she said, though she admits that this can cause difficulty at times.
Harare Residents’ Trust (HRT) explained that the police are present at roadblocks first and foremost to monitor the ZBC. “Whenever ZBC is collecting money for licenses there should be a police officer to monitor the process and ensure that no bribes are taken. Residents should learn to speak out boldly if their rights are violated. They should report their cases to the relevant offices before they are forced to pay bribes by people taking advantage of their lack of knowledge.”
The ZRP has not responded to a request for clarification of the issues raised above.
I had my radio removed from my car – at a cost of just $10. (It can easily be re-fitted should circumstances change) If you listen to music that you already have, ie using an FM modulator, or the CD or tape player etc etc…there are other options available to you rather than paying for something you don’t use!
It’s not worth the hassle, zbc car licence cost $10. The best thing to do is just buy it and you save your time and energy
The ZRP is just stealing people’s money. It says in this article that “The police may not insist on the payment of a spot fine where the road user is not in a position to do so immediately, or where the offense is being contested.” However, the police do insist on the payment of a spot fine. The other day I didn’t stop at a stop sign (because I hadn’t seen the sign, but I had checked that there wasn’t any traffic coming), and I said this to the officer, he would not listen to this. “Give me my $20!” he said. He then threatened to fine me for abusive behaviour, although I was just questioning why I should have to pay a fine. The police should not get aggressive. They should not think that the public is like an ATM where they can withdraw money. For many people, $20 is a lot of money. In my case, I was going to use that money to buy some trees and groceries. It was a negative experience I had, especially the aggressive nature of the policeman. I remember when the police used to be gentlemen. What are visitors to this country going to think if they go through several road blocks like this? The country is going to lose a lot of valuable tourist dollars. And the police is going to lose the respect of the public.
I had a similar incident where we were stopped in Borrowdale area and fined because our triangles were not reflective on both sides. Upon me advising I had no money on me, and asking them to write my ticket so I can pay my fine at a police station – I was screamed at, and told they want their money now. They are legally allowed to impound my vehicle if I can’t pay the spot fine there and then. When I pulled out the statutory instrument 129 where it clearly states they are to issue Form 265 which allows us the right to pay our fine within 7 days, they circled around my mother(who was with me, trying to calm the situation) screaming at us all and said that is not valid. They then told us to phone a friend to bring the fine money and then we can go. They refused to identify themselves and were extremely aggressive, even when I was calmly advising them I was not in a position to pay the spot fine, but admitted I was wrong and would like to pay my fine at the nearest police station. I do not believe that police officers have the right to treat citizens the way they do nowadays. It is not ethical.
The only thing that comforts me is that I know these thieving and aggressive policemen will get their just rewards. They cannot escape from God or karma, , which sees everything. They will get their punishment. For my part, because of my bad experience, if I see policemen hiding on the road, I am going to warn every motorist approaching them. One thing, I would encourage everyone not to lose their temper like I did, but just to try to remain calm. Losing one’s temper can make the situation a whole lot worse.