Zimbabwe police to stop demanding spot fines

Zimbabwe police are to introduce a machine that will enable them to scan a vehicle’ number plates after which it will print a slip which motorists can use to pay fines at the nearest police station, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Obedingwa Mguni said last week.

Responding to a question from Bulawayo legislator Dorothy Ndlovu about why police were still mounting roadblocks and demanding cash for spot fines when people had no cash, Mguni said a new company had come up with a machine that is going to change the way police operate and will no longer carry receipt books.

“We now have a machine which will enable a vehicle’s number plates to be scanned.  The person would state the owner of the vehicle, a slip will be printed to enable the person even though he does not have cash on him to approach the nearest police camp and pay,” he said. 

“We will be having such machines.  We are leaving old ways.  We want to stop corruption which is there.”

There have been several complaints about the number of police roadblocks in Zimbabwe with Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi saying they are hindering tourism.

Q &A

+HON. D.M. NDLOVU:  Thank you for this opportunity.  My question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. Mguni.  May he please explain what the police are doing at roadblocks since we are paying with plastic money?  They spend the whole day punishing people when they are supposed to have travelled because they should pay spot fines.  The motorists will not be having any cash and the police do not even have swipe facility, yet people spend the day being detained there.  People going to attend important occasions, doctors, et cetera spend the day detained there when they do not have swipe machines.  I thank you.

THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (HON. MGUNI):  Mr. Speaker Sir, I would like to thank the Hon. Member for the question.  There is a new company which has come to change the way in which the police are operating so that they do not carry any receipt books.  We now have a machine which will enable a vehicle’s number plates to be scanned.  The person would state the owner of the vehicle, a slip will be printed to enable the person even though he does  not have cash on him to approach the nearest police camp and pay.  We will be having such machines.  We are leaving old ways.  We want to stop corruption which is there.  I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.

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