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Police launch blitz on touts and rank marshals
Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP)
September 12, 2012

Over 300 suspected touts and rank marshals have been picked up by police following a blitz on "Mandimbandimba" (a shadowy group of heavily built men allegedly linked to Chipangano). Shabbily dressed and rough looking characters were also arrested by the police in a blitz that started as early as 6 AM and ended around midday.

Anti-riot police dressed in their new and menacing black uniforms descended on major taxi ranks in Harare's CBD targeting touts and all the rank marshals.

The ZPP witnessed innocent civilians also being victimised by the police during the blitz which was mainly targeted at touts and rank marshals.

From the Fourth Street the ZPP witnessed a group of police officers beating up a young man before forcing him to seat on wet ground. The police officers accused the young man of being a member of the Mandimbandimba gang.

Police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Oliver Mandipaka told ZPP that they had picked up 308 suspected touts and rank marshals following the blitz.

"What happens is that, where there is a breakdown of law and order, it becomes our obligation to bring back that order. People need to operate in an orderly manner. We have heard several reports where purported touts have not been treating commuters very well and we need to put an end to that," said Mandipaka.

He said they would check whether some of those arrested suspects do not have criminal records before releasing them.

"The rest of the suspects are going to be penalised by way of paying admission of guilty fines," he said.

The police blitz comes barely two days after a group of 20 soldiers ran amok and indiscriminately beat up touts and rank marshals at the Charge Office commuter omnibus rank. The soldiers were alleged to be revenging the attack of one of their colleagues at the same rank last Thursday.

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