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Kwekwe city council police robbing council

Kwekwe City Council is losing thousands of dollars through misleading, pilfering and doctored receipts and records. Municipal police who ‘ticket’ drivers for parking vehicles on undesignated areas solicit for bribes from drivers who allegedly pay municipal policeman half of the regulated fines, which is then pocketed by municipal police officers.
Accountability of the fines paid by offending drivers is not accounted for properly. There are no accountable systems available to check on ‘ cooked up ‘ figures. Municipal traffic police officers are living at large judging by expensive lunches they devour during lunch hours. Not to be outdone are municipal police officers who are responsible for enforcing shop licensing. Several shops especially tuck shops are operating without proper licensing documentation. Most so called vegetable vendors at the local bus rank in the city are operating illegal bottlestores and bars with the full blessings of Kwekwe Municipal police and related authorities. Most police details and soldiers can be seen loitering at city rank soliciting for bribes from illegal bar operators, kombis and those who flaut Covid 19 regulations.
There is corruption and glaring anomalies when it comes to municipal police operations in Kwekwe city. Topping the list are Kwekwe Municipal traffic officers who solicit for bribes from drivers who violate parking laws of the city by pocketing less of the stipulated fines. Most of kombis and long distance buses pay a fee for picking up passengers in the municipal long distance rank, but the bulk of the money disappears into thin air without reaching council voffers without proper accountability and receipting. Illegal or pirate kombis that ply Gokwe, Silobela and Zhombe routes by municipal and lockdown enforcement police and army officers bribes in order to pick up passengers at long distance bus rank or any other picking up points dotted around Kwekwe CBD.
“ Council is losing thousands of dollars through loop holes dotted around council financial registers which give leeway to misuse and improper financial statements and cheating by those who collect money in the guise of council employees, some of the money does not reach council coffers and is no transparency. How much does City of Kwekwe realize per week or month through traffic fines or through long distance buses that pick up passengers at the long distance rbus rank per week? Council is being robbed by its employees or council is robbing itself? “,, said a Kombi driver who plies Mbizo 4 – City route.
“Long distance buses pay usd 10 to load passengers at the city bus terminus. Residents in Kwekwe city are demanding transparency in the way the city council financial matters are conducted by the council which has developed a knack of purchasing expensive state of the art vehicles for its top management employees, and giving extra perks, salaries and other allowamces whilst the general council workers are not paid in time and the service delivery systemis deteriorating drastically by day”_said a council insider.
MDC Alliance run council have come under spotlight for corruption, poor service delivery systems, financial mismanagement and other bad governance issues. In Midlands Province Gokwe Council, Redcliff and Gweru councils have come under fire for corruption and other related charges.

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