Following Minister of Home Affairs Jack Mwiimbu’s removal of police roadblocks in the country, Taxis and Bus Owners Association of Zambia have bemoaned the move saying it has deprived them of business opportunities.
Speaking in an interview in Kitwe yesterday, Association president Amis Daudi says the measure has left most taxis and bus owners without business since pirate transporters have taken advantage of the absence of road blocks to carry out business illegally.
“We welcome the pronouncement although it has left us without business, you know piracy has been the biggest challenge to us as taxis and bus owners and now the suspension of the road blocks has increased the number of pirate operators, there is need for the police to find a way of curbing piracy in the absence of officers on the road,” Mr Daudi lamented.
He however said that the move will help to remove congestion and inconvenience on roads which was caused by the numerous police snap checks points.
However, Police Spokesperson Ester Katongo when contacted said the suspension of the road blocks was a temporal measure aimed at giving the command time to revisit the operations of traffic officers with regard to snap checks on the roads.
“The suspension is just for a certain period of time to allow the command to revisit the operations of traffic officers when it comes to snap check points so once that is done the traffic officers will still come back on the road.
“ The main essence is to revive and see how these can be operated and how they are going to be done because we found that there were a lot of these on one stretch which was an inconvenience to members of the public,” Ms Katongo said.
She further explained that police officers will still continue conducting high way patrols and will still be able to act and curb piracy when they see pirate operators.
Last week Home Affairs Minister Jack Mwiimbu announced the suspension of police snap check points on the roads except for designated check points.
And this week Inspector General of Police Lemmy Kajoba released a list of formal check points all the provinces.
To be expected! Those police officers who used to man those roadblocks (and made a lot of money in the process) are not happy and want government to know those godforsaken roadblocks actually had a legitimate reason. NOT!
Pirate Taxis have ALWAYS been there and they survived by paying bribes to the cops.
What are you talking about? Are you pretending? Pirate taxis have always been here in Kitwe. We use them every single day. You even know where they are all parked in Townships, at shopping malls and in the city centre.
Can you bring us other real news coverage please?
It’s the absence of the local authority that has caused this, Council policemen and women must enforce the by-laws. The transport sector on the Copperbelt is more complex than what this guy has alluded to. Panji Kaunda as Deputy Minister of Home Affairs tried to resolve some of these challenges and Christopher Kang’ombe did well to harmonize the situation. Most police officers have minibuses and taxis and when there’s no business they impound those that are owned by others in order to give chance to their drivers to make money. It’s common to see a driver call the boss when he’s impounded who in turn talks to the chap and the taxi or Noah is released. So allow Mayors and the local leadership who understand local challenges to deal with them otherwise you’ll fail
Pirate Taxis are only possible because people jump into them, Road blocks never stopped them ….I remember when I was young and my Dad left me with the van and I wanted to make weekend party money I just went on Kafue road and loaded the van with marketers to Mazabuka.
The problem doesn’t lie with the corrupt police but with the traveling public and government.
Government should reduce the traffic offense charges so that offenders can be able to pay. Repeated offenses should end in court. Police should have computerized receipts installed in their car.
The public should make use of the law by refusing to pay without being issued with a receipt. Don’t allow a police officer to get your driving license.
Police should only impound a vehicle if the vehicle or its driver are a danger to other road users.
Of course these can only work in a civilized society and I believe we’re a civilized society. Our problem is that as much as we’re ready to unite in removing politicians from office we are not ready to unite against the corrupt police. We are always…
Cont..in such hurry that we ready to pay a bribe instead of using the law.
LOOK AT THE ROAD, BEAUTIFUL AND CLEAN. WELL DONE PF ADMINISTRATION.
#Tarino Orange Hahahah i did the same bro. life Icho chinto imwe
EDWIN MWEENI- Look at the debt that you have left your grand children
The article could be from a Police officer, in Kitwe the Police hide in shrubs in Nkana East to catch motorists not stopping at stop signs, however the notorious ones are Ndola traffic who started walking in traffic to beat the directive from Copperbelt PS then to stop road blocks
That is ok, until government finds a modern way of tracking those evading tax, like mounting cameras on specific positions.
For now let them be, its better than having corrupt cops and caderism in the markets
Is thus a zambian road!!! To pefect. We should have ok leave the see guys
#6 Edwin Mweene. They did very well in this area even maize production exceeded expectations, but hunger and joblessness were biting and still biting.
There is no going back, it is FORWARD. Pirate or No Pirate Taxis, we don’t need Road Blocks. We can use other mechanisms to manage this. The police are just spoiled and want to go back for their own Benefit.
LT please stop publishing such nonsense News, it’s like encouraging the rubbish. Let the Police Go.
Pirate taxi drivers without red number plates used to bribe traffic police officers on road blocks and the money was not debited into government coffers, the money was shared among themselves. Now, my suggestion is that, what if government allows pirate taxis to be paying money to Ratsa and issue them with a receipt for that particular week or month. We want people to contribute toward national development. Whoever wants to pirate as long as he/she has paid the money to Ratsa. How do you look at that.
1. The issues must be the the official charges put by the government on the road, when you have committed an offence are too high
2. How can I pay a lot of money than buy a drink for an officer? Which much cheaper and however not enough money they are making
3.policemen are just fine, because giving them money is not bribe, but we are helping each other, so that I can also raise something at the end of the day.
Gentlemen and ladies,
According to views let us all fight for the traffic charges to be reduced, honestly speaking if the charge is k450 for an simple offence, if I request the policeman to give him k50 that’s fine to than paying that a lot money and with this covid-19 business is slow
Bottom line is that charges are too high, they are the ones causes drivers to give money to the officers,
You just forgotten your driving licence at home then they charge you k300 and above, people that’s too much, paying a k100 to an officer is even much better?
Good to see so many zambian flags comments, sign that you can now buy bundles.
Life without likes of Lusambo, Kamba, Kalimanshi those thugs pills of manure.
One of the groups that HH is reported to have met in the US is the Open Society Foundation hugely funded by Soros. From the Open Society Foundation Website, read below what they stand for:
“LGBTQI
The Open Society Foundations seek to combat discrimination by empowering lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex communities to promote and defend their human rights.”
Ati umomwine emo tulishisha abana.
Registered and piraters have always existed and will always coexist.
Aluta continua.
“Icho nacho chinenacho”.
It is turu, it’s true.
Ladies and gentlemen. The police roadblocks are an essential part of law enforcement. Enforcement of road licences, taxes, traffic offences and fitness can only be monitored through permanent or snap roadblocks. The issue of bribery and high traffic penalties and how this can be improved is what must be addressed. The new dawn govt is about the rule of law. We should not allow anarchy to be the order of the day in the guise of accusing the police of corruption.
#22Tempted. I still insist it’s the public to blame. Just imagine a situation where one hundred motorists refuse to pay bribe at one road block at one time.
You think that police man can handle it? But we all rushing somewhere.
By the way why don’t the police patrol townships like they used to do in the past?