HARARE – Home affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe has a plan to deal with police corruption: Zimbabweans must stop paying bribes, he told the Senate on Thursday.
Kazembe admitted corruption was rampant in the Zimbabwe Republic Police but appeared to blame people who pay bribes for encouraging the vice.
“Yes, corruption is indeed a scourge and it’s totally unacceptable. I do admit that we do have some rogue cops amongst the police,” Kazembe said.
“Not every cop is corrupt but definitely yes, that issue is there and it’s a challenge.”
He however believes it is the responsibility of citizens to help fight corruption, by not offering bribes to police officers.
“It’s illegal and it should be dealt with. There is no way one person can be corrupt by themselves, it takes two or more to corrupt. This then points to citizens – we are aiding corruption; police cannot corrupt themselves,” Kazembe said.
“If they are corrupt, its because they are being paid by us. If we all take collective action and say we don’t want corruption, it will end today. Nobody will offer a bribe to the police.”
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission last year ranked the police as one of the most corrupt government departments along with the Vehicle Inspection Department.
Police officers have also been linked to armed robberies with several appearing in court facing charges. Some of the criminal activities have been liked to poor pay and tough working conditions.
