GWANDA South legislator Omphile Marupi (Zanu PF) has appealed for the government to provide rural police in his area with motorbikes to help overcome the difficulties of patrolling the area due to poor roads.
Speaking to Southern Eye, Marupi said the poor roads in his constituency make it hard for the police to access some areas using their vehicles.
“We are facing a big challenge as our roads are in a sorry state and this has limited the patrol of the police officers as some places are inaccessible, hence leaving the community to be victims of crimes with the offenders getting enough time to escape all because of the bad roads,” he said.
“In our area, we have been victims of cattle rustlers, which has left our community poor as criminals take away our wealth.
“We are in need of fully equipped police officers so that we can be able to curb crime as we also have illegal miners who are exhibiting rogue behaviour, which is killing the growth of our community.”
Marupi said the provision of motorbikes to the police would be of great help to the growth of the community.
“The vehicles which they are currently using are unable to reach some parts or areas and require more money in times of breakdowns, whereas the motorbikes can cover a lot of areas even if the roads are in bad state and are cheaper to maintain in times of breakdowns,” he said.
The legislator said they had tried to increase the number of police stations within the rural areas so that villagers are able to enjoy policing services.
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“We have currently converted a building which was a torture camp during the (Ian) Smith regime in Hwali to be a police base so that people in that area are able to attain the necessary services and be protected from criminals hence having a better life,” he said.
Most of the roads in Matabeleland South province are in a sorry state and this worsens during the rainy season.
