A TOTAL of 14 774 people were arrested countrywide for
violating Covid-19 orders since the beginning of the lockdown period on March
31.
Statistics obtained from the Police General Headquarters
show that Bulawayo still tops the numbers with 3 578 people arrested so far,
followed by Manicaland Province at 2 990 arrests.
Harare comes third in arrests at 1 866 while 1 589 people
have been arrested so far in Midlands Province. In Mashonaland West Province, 1
321 people were arrested while 487 were arrested in in Mashonaland Central.
Matabeleland South has so far recorded 1 035 arrests while
Matabeleland North province has 667. In Mashonaland East Province, 529 people
have been arrested while the support unit separately arrested 107 people
countrywide.
In a telephone interview, national police spokesperson
Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said police were concerned with continued
violation of lockdown orders and the increasing number of pirate taxis,
popularly known as mushikashika, illegally transporting commuters during this
period.
“We continue to make arrests and Bulawayo still tops the
statistics chart in terms of arrests of violators, with Manicaland Province
following closely. We are now also worried by the number of pirating taxis that
are operating during the lockdown and we warn offenders that they will be
arrested. We also have a problem of people roaming aimlessly in residential
suburbs after 6pm and we also warn them strongly that they will be arrested
under section 4 of S.I 83 of 2020,” said Assistant Commissioner Nyathi.
In Bulawayo 25 members of the group of 48 Christ Apostolic
Church Worldwide Revelation group that was arrested on Sunday while holding a
church service in Tshabalala suburb have since paid $500 fines while the rest
of the church members were released to look for the money as police considered
that keeping them in cells would put them at risk of contracting the Covid-19
virus.
Speaking to Chronicle, Bulawayo police spokesperson
Inspector Abednico Ncube said the congregants were given up to today to get the
money.
Inspector Ncube said more than 800 vehicles had been
impounded in the city, with 285 of them impounded under the Joint operation
between Police, the Bulawayo City Council and Zimbabwe Revenue Authority
(Zimra).
“BCC is checking parking tickets and other fines, while
Zimra is checking if they were imported via the proper channels into the
country and police are checking through VTS if these cars have not been
reported as stolen. More than 800 have so far been impounded although some have
been released as their owners would have paid outstanding fines and fees,” said
Inspector Ncube. Chronicle
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