Zimbabwe police to stop demanding spot fines

*HON. ADV. CHAMISA:  Thank you Mr. Speaker.  I would want to ask a supplementary question to the Minister on how police work.  Is there going to be a revamp of how the police work looking at what happened two weeks ago when women had a meeting in the rural areas and tear gas was thrown at them.  Even livestock were affected because of the smoke.  Is there anything that is going to be done on how the police work?  Looking at how they throw spikes, it is like the police are not working well with the people.  Is there anything that is going to be done for them to work well with the people because they do not belong to any political party but to the people?

HON. MGUNI:  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  Thank you Hon. Member for coming up with such a question.  I will answer it in English because if I can use my vernacular, you may not understand.  Mr. Speaker, that is a worry that we as the leaders of Home Affairs have to balance security versus quality service to our citizenry.

We went to Morris Depot where the police are trained and we wanted to see the material they are using.  It is very up to standard and very professional – [HON. MEMBERS:  Hear, hear.] – When the police officers are trained and deployed on the ground, some are doing other things that are not according to the police policy as a force, which they need to be disciplined on.  The disciplining mechanism which is there in the police has actually seen the suspension of more than 357 police officers last year who had been doing other things that are outside their working scope.  Therefore, it is also the duty of the public to understand what is expected from a policeman so that if that police officer commits something outside the working scope, he has to be reported so that we deal with the police office.

I am not privy to give information on the tear gas that was thrown at a place.  I need to understand, get a full report and see where they threw that teargas and what was happening because it might be in the bush where the people from that bush were attacking the police and they were defending themselves.  It can happen – [HON. MEMBERS:  Inaudible interjections.] – Let us find out what happened and we will come back to give a full report.  I thank you Mr. Speaker.

HON. ADV. CHAMISA:  Hon. Minister, so that I help and assist you in your understanding of the circumstances and so that you do justice to the question I have asked, this was a political gathering, a meeting of unarmed women and from nowhere – political structures – [HON. MEMBERS:  Inaudible interjections.] –

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  Order please.  Hon. Zwizwai, you are not an interpreter.

HON. ADV. CHAMISA:  It was a political meeting which was actually known, notified and everyone was aware of that meeting but we had the throwing of tear gas.  My simple question is that, in the run up to elections, Hon. Speaker Sir, what kind of measures is the Ministry putting in place to make sure that we do not send signals of a country that is up in smoke and a country that is back on the path of self-conflict and instability.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  Order. I think it is fair for the Minister, since it is a particular instance to go back and do further investigations so that he comes back and give accurate information.

HON. KHUPE:  Hon. Speaker, I have a point of order.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  What is your point of order?

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