Police Commissioner, Augustine Chihuri has dropped the nation’s cops into a deadly trap that now stakes their families’ lives, it has emerged, in a highly disturbing development that now overstretches the already demoralised police force. This exclusive ZimEye article has some secret internal police documents which expose the perils the force is facing at present.
Following the disturbances that saw the whole country falling into a cloud of uncertainty amid an increasingly angry and hostile public in the last week, police officers told ZimEye.com they now fear for their lives.
This came about after members of the public vowed to launch retaliation and self defense attacks on police officers privately to as said “stop the force from abusing us.”
While scores of Zimbabweans wrote in public their intention to what they termed “defend” themselves from the police, some went to the point of announcing they will launch repelling attacks on the cops in their private space.
Wrote one man on Monday, “These police officers and soldiers stay with us in communities, as they go out to attack protesters let’s go to attack their families and properties”.
Another, a woman in her early 30s elaborately wrote out what she said was the formula for assembling petrol bombs to use in confrontation attacks with the police. The post published on the 5th July at 2008Hrs, began with the phrase “How to Make a Petrol Bomb, Steps,” and ended with the declaration, “Toonana kuma fronts edu mangwana.” In the last paragraph it also had the following, ” Add ammonia nitrate, river sand, or…”
Added to those comments were public statements by a well known activist that the ZRP cops can be beaten up in self defense if they attack civilians. The public must be fully aware that anyone in a police uniform must behave accordingly and once they start unleashing violence on citizens they are surely not police officers and members of the public are urged to protect themselves from violent attacks to preserve life, an NCA party youth wing member said.
The development has made life further difficult for the police officers who are at the end of struggles with finances and so may not have the monetary base to obtain secure accommodation facilities in the event of attacks being launched on them unawares. This week for instance saw many pictures of police officers being physically attacked and overpowered in broad daylight while in the act of carrying out their bosses’ orders.
Denial
Despite the worrisome situation, the government has announced saying the country is at peace saying that there were “isolated disturbances in Beitbridge and a few suburbs of Harare and Bulawayo,” and nothing more than that.
Staff Schemes, Corruption and Confusion.
Meanwhile, the cops have gone on record to complain that Gen Chihuri is allegedly forcing them to pay into a dodgy staff scheme managed by his wife called Kuyedza in which they are obligated to pay monthly contributions. They challenged Chihuri’s religious integrity which they said is questionable as the man who forces them into his church services, treats them with alleged contempt. Chihuri who professes Christianity, is named for claiming to be a spiritual man when he on the other side allegedly abuses officers. “He is the sole preacher in the service but surprisingly during day to day policing, he does not practice what he teaches in the service,” one senior cop said.
They continued, “every now and again members are forced to part with their hard earned cash to contribute towards Kuyedza club, a club headed by his wife. Kuyedza club proceeds are believed to be benefiting a clique of few senior officers. Members are again forced to buy stationary used on day to day duties. This is the reason why most of the officers are bitter about being forced to attend the service.”
It has also emerged with documentary evidence that police officers are being forced into “police spot fine” cash collection target figures for fund raising purposes.

The above documents serve to confirm that police officers are being given arrest targets to raise retention money, hence the rise of groups such as the so called “Tajamuka” which is lobbying for an end to the abuses, which sparked the protests this week.