INFORMAL traders have claimed that police officers were forcing
them to buy raffle tickets for the Commissioner-General, Augustine Chihuri’s
Funfair.
The funfair is a regular on the Zimbabwe Republic Police
(ZRP) calendar. Vendors who spoke to Southern Eye claimed police officers were
moving around vending stalls in the high density suburbs and the city centre
forcing them to buy the raffle tickets costing $2 each.
“About seven police officers mounting bicycles approached
me and my colleagues at Entumbane shopping centre. They produced the raffle
tickets and asked each one of us to buy a ticket.
“When I told them that I did not have money to buy the
tickets, they threatened to impound my goods and take me to Drill Hall police
station to pay a fine for illegal vending,” one of the vendors at the shopping
centre said.
The vendors alleged they were forced to buy the raffle
tickets following the threats.
According to police sources at Bulawayo Central police
station, each police officer at every police station has been allocated several
tickets to sell to raise money for the funfair.
While Bulawayo police spokesperson, Inspector Precious
Simango was unreachable for comment, it is not the first time the allegations
have been made against police officers.
Traffic officers manning roadblocks along the country’s
major highways, have also been accused of coercing motorists to buy raffle
tickets at the check points.
Police officers are reportedly also not happy with being
forced to contribute their salaries, or to engage in fundraising activities for
Chihuri’s funfair and other projects for their bosses.
Last month, a Bulawayo junior cop, Shepard Marufu dragged
Home Affairs minister Ignatius Chombo and Chihuri to court for allegedly
forcing him to “unlawfully” contribute part of his monthly salary towards
funding projects he said benefit his bosses.
In papers before the court, Marufu who is attached to ZRP
Support Unit in Bulawayo also admitted that police officers were forced to buy
and sell raffle tickets three times a year.
“It is even more worrying that I am also being forced to
buy and sell raffle tickets, which against my religion as it prohibits
gambling,” stated Marufu in the court papers.
Marufu, in his founding affidavit, said his bosses created
several money spinning projects to rip off their juniors by forcing them to
make monthly contributions towards the projects.
Marufu through his lawyers, Mugiya and Macharaga Law
Chambers, seeks an order declaring the contributions unlawful, and wants an
order directing the Chihuri and Chombo to restitute al the money he was
allegedly forced to contribute. Newsday
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