Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Officers from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Matabeleland South Province have been accused of extorting money from travellers at Beitbridge Border Post.
Junior officers are also accused of bribing their superiors stationed at the CID headquarters in Gwanda to be deployed to Beitbridge, where there they engage in corruption.
The allegations are contained in a complaint seen by the Southern Eye and lodged at the Police General Headquarters (PGHQ) in Harare by an anonymous source.
Assistant Commissioner Peter Sibanda, the officer commanding Operation No To Cross-Border Crime, confirmed receiving the complaint to the publication. He said:
We have seen the anonymous complaint, we are investigating the matter.
The letter of complaint titled Corruption At CID DHQ Mat South reads in part:
I want to bring your attention to the corrupt activities happening at Beitbridge Border Post being done by CID DHQ details.
The DCIO is deploying DHQ details from Gwanda to lucrative points at Beitbridge Border Post on a fortnight rotational basis.
The details work at the border siphoning money from motorists/smugglers/omalayitsha just for self-aggrandisement. This has been going on for over a year now.
It is surprising to note that commanders are now the instigators of corruption instead of shunning corruption.
May your high office put an end to these corrupt activities before it gets out of hand.
According to Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ)’s national bribe payers index study for 2021, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) was ranked as the country’s most corrupt government department.
The ZRP’s perceived corruption rate stood at 38.9%, significantly higher than other departments.
The Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID) followed with an 18.9% corruption rate, while local authorities (urban and rural councils) ranked at a comparatively lower 5.1%.
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