Well the ZRP has certainly got the country talking!!
Carpark talk appears to range from fury to threats of 'Civil Disobedience', not sure where my own particular reactions stand yet, but surely we must all have our vehicle ducks in a row by now
When one thinks that one has adhered to every possible scenario and that the police can find absolutely nothing else to find and fine, they come up with another beauty!!
I joined a hot spot group briefly, on Social Media, which strategically pin pointed all the police roadblocks, however I left it after a day full of noisy beeping and chit chat, far too invasive in my quiet little world.
I recall a similar group in South Africa, run by a fellow who called himself 'Pig Spotter', the police tried in vain to search for him, to prosecute him for 'defeating the ends of justice', but the wily fellow was as elusive as the legendary 'Baba Jukwa'!!
I like to think we have covered all fineable eventualities, from fire extinguishers, to double sided red triangles, to 'temper free' third number plates, and so on and so forth, but I gather there is never an end to it all. However legally compliant one becomes, something else totally bizarre will arise to flummox even the most law abiding citizen!!
The latest atrocities being heaped on Zimbabwe's citizens appear to be - not activating one's flashers when approaching a police roadblock, having smooth brake and accelerator pedals, riding in an unclean car, and even wanting to see the receipt for groceries one has recently purchased from a supermarket!
One hapless lady with small children was totally traumatized by police who said they were arresting her and taking her to the drill Hall, they crushed in the back of the car with the terrified children, was it possibly that they wanted a free lift to the Drill Hall after a hard days raking in the cash
Taking car safety seriously is a good thing, but our police are more intent upon seeing if one's Third Number Plate has been 'tempered with', or inspecting the service date on our fire extinguishers, than checking if our brakes and headlights are working or if we are speeding or talking on our mobile phones!!!
Sadly some friends from Botswana today vowed 'Never Again' they had a torrid time at the Zim border and then were stopped at no less that 7 police roadblocks between the Plumtree border and Bulawayo!!
Sigh, I must admit, I too am a trifle scared of the very men who have been commissioned to 'provide protection and assistance to the public' which is the way they are defined in the dictionary!!
However on a positive note Leah has a glorious tale of three uniformed coppers swaying and shimmying to her music when they stopped her car!!
Lastly you will be glad to know that the ZRP has created a Facebook account where you are invited to register your complaints to the 'Powers that Be'.
www.facebook.com/groups/dearzrp
We all agree that road safety is of the highest priority, and checking for unroadworthy vehicles or faulty/missing equipment is something that needs to be done. However, the unnecessary harassment of drivers, to say nothing of allegations of corruption, cannot be tolerated. To quote the ZRP itself:
'The ZRP does not tolerate corrupt elements and has both legal and administrative apparatus to eject such from its system" said Commissioner Ndebele
www.zrp.gov.zw/
We encourage you to use this group to share your experiences, whether positive or negative, but we will not tolerate abusive, offensive or insulting posts. Although you may feel like swearing, please keep it clean!
When you post something about an experience, please give the date, time and place, and, if possible, the name and number of the ZRP officer involved. You are entitled to ask for a police officer's name and number.
We will try whenever possible to provide information about your rights at road blocks, and any other information that might help.
