By Staff Reporter | The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) cops are using soldiers assisting them to man roadblocks in the country’s highways to receive and keep bribes they would have solicited from public transport operators.

One such place is the roadblock along Harare-Masvingo highway just after Mbudzi roundabout a few kilometers before the toll gate.

At the roadblock which is meant to search cars coming from South Africa, where the police are on high alert for smuggled goods, the corrupt ZRP cops are using soldiers from the Zimbabwe Military Police to collect and keep bribes.

This is so because police officers manning roadblocks are not allowed to be seen with any cash with them when their superiors make a random visit and search them. On Wednesday, ZimEye.com was in one of the Kombis which paid a bribe of $2 to a soldier assisting the police to man the roadblock.

The police officers at the roadblock do not have road traffic receipt books which are used to acknowledge receipt of motorists who they would have fined for traffic offences.

The police officers at the said roadblock after stopping the cars they direct the Kombi driver to disembark and go and “shake hands” with the soldier standing at a distant, thereby giving him some money.

“This is what has been happening at this raid block and every Kombi which plies the Southlea Park and Ushewekunze route is leaving cash to this soldier which they will later share,” said the disgruntled driver after giving a $2 note to the soldier.