Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Zimbabwe Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operatives, seen here surrounding Mugabe in Victoria Falls, derive their power directly from the president, who sanctions their impunity. They work hand in glove with Mugabe's party and are simply there to extend their impunity to cover members of Mugabe's party, ZANU PF. Parliament and the courts mean absolutely nothing to them. Harare, Zimbabwe, 29 October 2009 In a surprising article today from the Financial Gazette, it is revealed that Zimbabwe's notorious Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operatives are refusing point-blank to pay toll fess at Zimbabwe's newly established tollgates. A parliamentary committee said this last week that this is an illegal move on the part of the CIO. According to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Development, the only departments and agencies exempt from tollgate fees are the Fire Brigade, Ambulances and the Presidential motorcade. Everyone else mus...

This tollgate ticket is one of three I saw today, all without the details filled in, all without a figure on them. This one I borrowed from a haulage truck driver to take a picture, and as you can see, it says "Passenger Vehicle." A passenger vehicle pays US$1, whereas a haulage truck pays US$4. Mugabe's party activists, given jobs at these booths, are making a killing. No one has EVER seen a "Haulage Truck Ticket and the money that gets passed on is fraction of what would have been collected. Some of the tickets issued are clearly fakes, bearing no ZIMRA logo as with the one above. Harare, Zimbabwe, 11 September 2009 Mugabe is a past master at extending his patronage system. Now it emerges that ZANU PF activists, including the so-called notorious Green Bombers who were used to unleash violence on opposition supporters, have been employed as Tollgate fee collectors along Zimbabwe's highways. The system has been deliberately designed to allow these ZANU PF activis...