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Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri

Mashudu Netsianda Senior Court Reporter
FOUR more cops have taken Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri to court for transferring them from Zvishavane to various police stations following a protest over what they described as unjustified deductions of money from their salaries.

The officers were stationed at Zvishavane Police Station before they were re-deployed to various stations.

The officers only identified as sergeant Wachekwa, constables Makamba, Mutimusakwa and Nziradzemhuka yesterday filed an urgent chamber application at the Bulawayo High Court challenging their transfers.

The police officers through their lawyer, Norman Mugiya are seeking an order that suspends their transfers pending the finalisation of this matter, arguing that it was unlawful and a violation of their constitutional rights.

In the court papers, the four police officers are the applicants while Chihuri, Senior Assistant Commissioner Justice Chengeta who is the chief staff officer-in-charge of ZRP human resources and the officer in charge of Zvishavane police were cited as respondents.

The officers in their founding affidavit, said on November 17 they were shocked when they were told that they were being transferred from their station with immediate effect.

The officers said on November 17, 2015, they were notified that they had been transferred and when they asked why such a sudden move, they were told that it was because they had questioned the respondents as to why they deducted money from their salaries without their consent and knowledge for six months at the rate of $91 per month.

They said the order was communicated from the Police General Headquarters in Harare through their immediate boss.

They said they explained to the respondents that they had only sought to know what was happening to their salaries but were told that they had crossed the red line by challenging the Commissioner-General who under normal circumstances should not challenged.

The four officers also filed summons at the same court challenging the deductions from their salaries under the guise of the ZRP Association Loan, which they claimed they did not know about.

“The deductions were effected for a total of six months and when we eventually took our officer in charge to task over the issue, we were then told that we would get loans to compensate for the unlawful deductions,” said the officers.

In their summons, the police officers seek an order compelling their bosses to reimburse them the money deducted from salaries.

They also want the respondents to pay the legal costs.

The police officers have since December 2014 been attached to the ZRP Minerals and Border Control Unit in Zvishavane.