Blessing Chadanyika of Chitungwiza says he was cornered into paying a bribe to corrupt City of Harare officials after they clamped his vehicle in the CBD.
"My car was impounded after the municipal parking cops accused me of parking illegally. They said I was running a pirate transportation gig (mushikashika) when I wasn't at all. They demanded that I pay them something or they would take my car to central stores where after a cumbersome process I would eventually pay USD 254 to repossess my car," Chadanyika said.
Once a vehicle is clamped, it is driven or towed to a yard on the outskirts of the CBD. To get it out of there the vehicle owner must produce all requisite documentation including clearances from the Central Vehicle Registry (CVR) and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) traffic unit.
Against his inclination, Chadanyika gave USD20 to the municipal cops after negotiation them down from their initial demand of USD100.
“Obviously paying these people bribes is the wrong thing to do. It encourages them to be even more of a criminal nuisance, but what can you do?”
Chadanyika’s story is one common to thousands of Harare drivers who feel exploited by the municipality cops and the whole traffic regulation system.
Other drivers report of getting clamped after business hours and even on Sundays saying that this seems to be just a scam by municipal cops after bribes
Be compliant or pay up, COH says
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City of Harare says drivers who pay bribes are the ones creating an unstoppable monster and have no call complain as they are part of the problem.
"Council does not condone corruption in any form. We urge members of the public to report such cases so that disciplinary action can be taken against such officers. corruption takes two we also encourage our residents not to pay bribes to our officers.” Ruwende said.
Lack of discipline among driver is a challenge in Harare. Driving against the traffic flow, using the turning lane when going straight, stopping in any spot including those clearly marked non-stop zones are some of the behaviours regularly exhibited by Harare drivers.
As a result, traffic snarls and jams are a common inconvenience in the CBD.
Statistics from the CVR in September 2021 says there were around 1.5 million cars passing through Harare's streets daily. More vehicles are imported into the country every day and Harare gets the majority of them.
Therefore, traffic regulations are important for the convenience of all roads users. But no one wants the expense and inconvenience of getting their vehicle clamped.
How to avoid getting clamped
“Traffic fines can easily be avoided by following laid down rules," says Ruwende.
This is how you can avoid being clamped:
- Always park in designated bays, even if you are just picking up or dropping off a passenger
- Make sure your vehicle is properly within the parking lines
- Pay your parking fees all the time
- Never stop on No Parking zones
- By-laws apply even outside formal business hours. It is only parking fees that are applicable at stated times.
- Municipal cops are sometimes not in uniform so always assume they are very nearby and stay compliant.
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