A young boy riding his bicycle on Arcturus Road. No saddle. A loaf of Lobels in one hand.

Outside Oriel Girls High School, scattered broken Castle beer bottles. Why don’t the school authorities clean the area? And where do they come from … predatory sugar daddies?

As a gay man living in Tanzania, Cassim Mustapha could have faced imprisonment, but prosecutions under the country’s Sexual Offences Act are rare, and the bigger threat came from his own community. After one of his neighbours attacked him with an axe leaving a deep wound in his head, Mustapha fled and applied for asylum in Malawi, the first country he reached. More from IRIN here

Three headlines in today’s Herald newspaper paint a dark (sorry) picture for Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), already struggling with electricity demand that far outstrips supply, and frustrated customers who believe ZESA over charges them on bills – and under delivers on power.

• ZESA takes PM’s brother to court over bill (He’s certainly not the only one who hasn’t been paying,and ZESA complains that unpaid bills is part of why they can’t deliver service.
• ZESA workers threaten to switch off power (The lowest paid ZESA worker currently earns just $190 / month. They argue management has received pay increments, but not lower grade employees)
• Debt cripples Kariba Power Station ($21 million in debt, with $7.5 million in interest. Ouch. Meanwhile, outdated equipment at the power station runs up ever higher maintenance and repair bills.)

Zimbabweans speak out about harassment at police road blocks. Here is some citizen reporting:

Many times had to do so, coz they would hev taken yo licence disc, and the inconvinience, u just hev to hev something in yo pocket, Gvt must just do whats legal, write the registration of è car & follow up on offenders later. – Andrew

I had a very similar encounter with the police at the corner Kirkman Road and Sherwood Drive near the national sports stadium some two weeks ago on a Saturday. In my case I was stopped by a police officer who immediately asked to see my driver’s licence. I gave him but before he returned it he told me that they were checking on the following items; reflective vests, my licence disc, jack, fire extinguisher, two red triangles and spare wheel. I did not have a spare wheel that day so he said I should pay a spot fine of US$10.00. I asked him to write me a ticket since I did not have money on me. He just laughed it off. I tried to plead with him to get the ticket but my pleas fell on deaf ears. He even threatened to bring more charges against me if I continued bothering him. When I asked him if the police no longer issued tickets he indicated that whoever was responsible for procuring and/or supplying stationery to the police stations was supplying all the other books except ticket books leaving them with no choice but to charge spot fines. When I insisted that I had no money he told me that they were gonna have to take me to Mabelreign police station from where the vehicle would be taken to the VID for further inspection. He then issued me a veiled threat that should it be taken to the VID it would cost me an arm and a leg to get it back. I told him I had no choice and sat in the car waiting for them to take me to the police station as he had said. After about two hours sitting patiently in the car he came and asked what it was that he had confiscated from me. He gave me back my driver’s licence and ordered me to get out of his sight. He even scolded me saying I was a boorangoma rinofamba risina kana cent. So guys sometimes just do not appear to be in such a big hurry when these traffic cops stop you. These guys can capitalise on that. On that particular occasion I later overhead the police officer who stopped me telling his colleague that so far that day he had raised US$530.00.There were four of them at that road block all of them receipting spot fines. – Silas

I have had many similar situations with spot fines and I have simply refused to pay.  The most recent was after the revocation of the licensing deadline and the revoking of the revocation.  It was before 1 July when we were stopped and ordered to pay a fine on the spot – I was with my sisters and we all had under $10 on us and none of us were prepared to part with that money – it was just after Snake Park.  Anyway we simply parked and let the guy talk and talk and demand the money simply telling him we didn’t have it until he got tired and eventually let us go after about 20 minutes. I think that the police, should fundraise in a more proactive manner, by producing a booklet of information on road traffic police procedures and motorist’s right and just put it right up there on the long list of things one must have in their car such as fire extinguisher etc, and they can charge a small fee for this booklet which I wouldn’t mind paying so that I know my rights. – Blessing

I was driving along the same road from Corporate 24 and the police stopped me claiming I did not obey the stop sign. I stopped and looked and seeing that there were no cars, I proceeded.  My question to the police is … how many minutes am I supposed to stop at the sign? They seemed to ignore me and the more I protested the more the police were aggravated and threatened to impound my car. I had no money on me so I had to negotiate to go home and get money. The nerve of the officer to insist on coming home with me. The gross abuse of power by some members of the police force is sickening.  nxaaah!!! – Ellen

It was on Tuesday morning of 19 June when I was driving my wife to hospital around 6:45am when I come across 4 police officers (GMBturnoff) riding bikes on their way to base station (kilobase) from their main station. One of them move to the centre of the road and I just avoid him by keep more to the left and proceed with my journey. After 3 hours they come to where my car was parked at karina filling station demanding $80 for not stopping when one of them ride his bike on the middle of the road saying it was a sign of a roadblock. Many people are losing a lot of money in Norton to the police in their everyday endless operation. They impound your car if you don’t pay bribe. Unlicensed young police officers they demand your car keys and drive your car to the kilobase in katanga if you still don’t pay their money they will drive car again to the main station along Zvimba road that is where you will run out of time and end up paying bribe without seeking justice your car can stay for weeks there whilst used to trap other cars. Targeted cars ipsum,Gaia,323 class4 range. I ended up paying $7 bribe for my freedom. Freedom wasn’t fought for because we are still paying for our daily freedom without cash you can’t even dream of freedom in Zimbabwe, especially Norton. – G

People should be allowed to pay their fines at any nearest police station. Chihuri had promoted police officer to be corrupt. – Ellson

I fell into the same predicament – “accused” of not observing a “Stop Sign” when I was driving from UZ, and turning into Upper East Road.  I had to part with $20 on the spot in order to avoid being taken to Avondale Police Station. Had no idea what would be in store for me at the station, hence the decision to just pay. Was pissed off though! – Isabel

The police at Rhodesville Police station have a constant road block there and now apparently everyone is getting fined $20 if the fire extinguisher is not local and with the Zimbabwe Standards Association seal on, the original law said a fire extinguisher, it did not stipulate what kind, not that I can see, now for one to find one of these fire extinguishers is another story, and we cannot help wondering which minister in government is making these and now a sudden law is passed forcing people to buy them so he/she can make money. Are you aware of this law? Is it new? Or is it another excuse to pocket money, why did no one hear of this I wonder, and people do not have cash to drive around with either, we all battle and get fleeced enough without adding to it. There are also bogus police who are out at night fleecing people, pretending they are police and searching people, pinching stuff from the cars they search, like cell phones, fleecing money off people with trumped up things, wonder where they got the idea from? Police stopped a man in Chipinga and they tried to fine him for having a dirty car, when he had just come off a dirt road anyway, this is pure theft and abuse of power. Since when do people get fined for dirty cars anyway, never mind the buses etc that belt black smoke out and all the other mechanical problems they have, and besides which so many of us in Harare never see water, but of course get charged for water we never get, more theft, so how do we wash our cars anyway! If I got water I would wash myself and my clothes first, the car would be low down on that queue! The police are more crooked than the crooks. – M

Before we self-destruct!

The three MDCs
Like WMDs
Are killing the hopes
Of ordinary folks
Perhaps they should re-learn the struggle’s ABCs