Police Officers Jailed for Taking US$5 Bribe from Sand Poacher in Ruwa
Two police officers will spend the next three years behind bars after being convicted of taking a US$5 bribe from a truck driver in Ruwa.
Dennis Tafadzwa Chivaku and Sharon Madondo were found guilty of criminal abuse of duty and sentenced to four years in prison, with one year suspended, meaning they’ll serve three years effectively.
Police Officers Jailed for Taking US$5 Bribe from Sand Poacher in Ruwa
The court heard that the two officers had been deployed at a checkpoint near Sunway City Special Economic Zone, where they were supposed to help enforce the law. But instead, they were caught soliciting bribes from truck drivers, especially those involved in illegal sand poaching.
They allegedly charged US$5 per truck to allow the illegal activity to continue unhindered. After complaints were filed, investigators set up a trap, and Chivaku and Madondo were caught in the act, accepting a bribe from a truck driver.
Following a full trial at the Harare Magistrates’ Court, both officers were convicted and handed prison sentences.
Part of a Bigger Corruption Network
Chivaku and Madondo were part of a five-member team working under a police operation called “NO TO ILLEGAL SAND POACHING.” The other three officers involved were Freeway Muninipi, Givemore Mucheka, and Getrude Ndenga.
In June 2024, a truck driver filed a complaint with Police Headquarters, reporting that officers in the Ruwa area were demanding cash from drivers involved in sand poaching.
In response, the PGHQ Internal Investigations unit launched an undercover sting operation the following month.
Investigators went to Sunway Drive in Ruwa, where the corrupt officers were operating. An informant drove an Iveco 5-tonne truck (registration AED 2865), empty, but carrying US$5 in trap money.
The officers, travelling in a private vehicle belonging to Mucheka, intercepted the truck and demanded money for what they called a “free passage.” The moment they accepted the cash, they were arrested on the spot.
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