Police probe Mabvuku roadblock video as Bulawayo driver alleges US$150 bribe demand
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has opened an inquiry after a video circulated on social media appearing to show two officers collecting money from motorists at a roadblock in Harare’s Mabvuku area.
The footage is said to show officers from Mabvuku Police Station working beside a grey police pick-up truck at a checkpoint on Mutare Road, just beyond N. Richards and on the approach to the Mabvuku interchange. Online posts identified one of the officers by the nickname “kaGoat” or kambudzi. Police have not confirmed the officers’ identities.
In a post published on Friday, November 13, the ZRP said it was checking whether the footage showed a new incident or one that had already been dealt with by police command. The force has not announced any disciplinary action. Investigators are examining the video and the circumstances around it.
“The ZRP has taken note of a video on Crime Watch, alleging bribe-taking by two police officers from ZRP Mubvuku. The ZRP is now conducting inquiry to establish the reality of the incident and to confirm whether the video relates to a new case or a previous case that was already dealt with by the ZRP command.”
The video has drawn fresh attention to complaints by motorists and public transport operators about conduct at traffic roadblocks. Commuter omnibus, or kombi, drivers and operators of informal transport vehicles known as mushikashika have raised concerns about alleged demands for unofficial payments, delays and harassment during traffic enforcement.
The Mabvuku inquiry comes as a Bulawayo kombi driver, Limukani Ndlovu, faces charges of kidnapping two police officers and assaulting one of them. At his court appearance, Ndlovu’s lawyer accused the officers of demanding US$150 to secure the driver’s release after he was stopped for a traffic offence. The allegation is part of the defence account of the incident.
Ndlovu, 44, of Old Magwegwe, appeared through his lawyer, Simbarashe Innocent Madzivire of Mashayamombe Legal Practitioners, before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Mutiro. He denies the charges, which include 2 counts of kidnapping and 1 count of assault. The hearing was adjourned to November 16.
Madzivire told the court that the officers had entered Ndlovu’s vehicle and that his client had neither kidnapped nor unlawfully detained them. He said the officers directed Ndlovu to drive to Drill Hall Police Station, but began demanding money on the way in exchange for allowing him to go free. The lawyer said the demands continued after they reached the station, but Ndlovu refused to pay.
“The accused neither kidnapped nor unlawfully detained both complainants. The allegations are a pure fabrication motivated by malice. While driving, three people entered his vehicle and advised him that he was under arrest,” Madzivire submitted.
According to the defence, Ndlovu became suspicious because the officers were dressed in civilian clothes and had not impounded his vehicle or asked him to accompany them into the station. Madzivire said his client waited for nearly an hour without formal action being taken, then decided to leave. The defence alleges that the officers got into the moving vehicle and continued to threaten Ndlovu while demanding payment.
“The accused person, knowing his rights, denied complying with the unlawful request and thus drove towards his homestead. The officers thereafter requested to be dropped off and he did so,” Madzivire said.
The prosecution gave a markedly different account. Prosecutor Owen Mugari told the court that Ndlovu was arrested on February 21, shortly before midday, after dropping passengers at an undesignated point in Bulawayo’s central business district. He was driving a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter kombi that police suspected was operating without a valid certificate of fitness.
The prosecution said Constables Lydia Runoza and Leonard Kaseke boarded the vehicle to escort it to the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) depot. Instead of following the route to the depot, Ndlovu allegedly drove towards the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road, continued past Umguza Tollgate and turned onto an unidentified road. The vehicle travelled about 10 kilometres, the court heard.
The State said Kaseke jumped from the moving vehicle, leaving Runoza in the front passenger seat. Ndlovu allegedly drove another 100 metres, stopped, grabbed Runoza by the neck and forced her out of the vehicle before driving away. The prosecution said she was left in a bushy area with bruising to her neck and was referred to Mpilo Central Hospital for examination and treatment. Madzivire disputed the assault account and said the medical evidence did not support it.
Another roadblock case was heard in Bulawayo in October, when 4 traffic officers appeared in court facing bribery and criminal abuse of duty charges. The officers had been manning a roadblock on the Harare-Bulawayo Highway near the 397-kilometre peg. The prosecution said they were arrested after a support-unit team found cash they could not account for: US$237 and P110 in total.
According to the prosecution, US$15 and P110 were found on one officer, while a further US$222 was recovered from a satchel hidden in a metal cabin near the checkpoint. The cash had not been recorded in the officers’ official books, the court was told. The four were remanded to November 2. Their appearance followed a reported incident on October 14.
In June, a Bulawayo magistrate sentenced Constable Nosizi Sinyoro to 4 years in prison for assaulting a motorist at a roadblock on the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road. The sentence included 1 year suspended for 5 years on condition of good behaviour. Four other officers charged in that case were cleared during the trial. The court heard that the motorist had suffered serious injuries and was treated at Mpilo Central Hospital.
A separate incident in Harare’s central business district prompted another ZRP statement this week after a video of a collision spread online. Posts claimed a kombi had hit a female pedestrian while fleeing from police or City of Harare municipal officers. Police rejected the pursuit claim after investigating and consulting officers who attended the scene.
The ZRP said the collision involved a speeding Nissan Caravan that struck a 46-year-old woman. It said there was no evidence the kombi was being pursued by police or municipal officers at the time. The driver is being charged with driving without due care and attention.
Police urged the public to check information before sharing videos and claims online. In the Mabvuku case, the inquiry is now focused on verifying when the footage was recorded and what it shows. In Bulawayo, the court is due to continue hearing evidence in Ndlovu’s case on November 16.
