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Editor — On Monday September 5, 2018, I was driving from Harare to Bulawayo in my very modest Honda Fit.

Around 10AM, I arrived in the beautiful city of Gweru. Naturally after driving for a couple of hours, nature called. I properly parked my car along what I will call Bulawayo Road directly opposite the Innscor food court. I dashed to the convenience room by Chicken Inn — bless them, they allowed me to use their facilities without purchasing a thing.

Immediately after, I dashed back to my car. The plan was to arrive in Bulawayo before 2PM, I had a very crucial meeting. Upon getting into my car and to my utter shock and horror, the right front wheel was under clamp. The Gweru city fathers were at it. I tried to investigate why a whole city council would resort to such draconian measures for a non-resident.

To my dismay a lady who sales parking tickets appeared and told me that I had parked without a pre-paid ticket. I tried reasoning with her but she referred me to the town house.

At the town house I was sent to one Mr Ruzvidzo. My head of arguments were as follows:

1) I am not a Gweru resident, I showed them my Bulawayo parking disc and a couple of discs I bought from Easi- park in Harare

2) I had properly parked my car without infringing or crossing any lines of my parking box

3) I had not parked for more than half any hour (this was substantiated by a Gweru north Zinara tollgate ticket I had in my possession)

4) I had not refused to buy a parking disc just that there was no one to sell to me that disc when I parked.

5) I felt my fundamental rights as listed in the Freedom Charter were being curtailed.

Mr Ruzvidzo maintained that Gweru was a prepaid parking disc town. I asked if the discs were sold online or any other place outside Gweru. Because the term prepaid means one must buy the ticket first before they park. So for a non-resident I have to first park my car in Gweru then buy a parking disc either from a disc vendor or parking meter.

Mr Ruzvidzo said the best he could do was reduce my fine from $30 to $10. I felt this was tantamount to paying a bribe synonymous with the ZRP in the First Republic. Mr Ruzvidzo accompanied me to one Mr Chiyangwa in Credit Control.

This Mr Chiyangwa needs a lot of training in public relations. He believes he is the Almighty Chiyangwa (I suspect younger brother to Fidza). He was of no help and instructed me to write a letter to the accountant of which the accountant was to respond to my grievance as when he deemed fit. That sounded nonsensical to me because the accountant was at town house and could spare a couple of minutes to look at my case. But you know Zimbabweans, the Gushungo Syndrome where public servants think they are kings, I was not allowed to see the accountant.

Someone suggested one Mr Nhundu (he was said to be acting Director responsible for all guys who do the actually clamping). Oh Mr Nhundu is the worst kind of bureaucrat one can ever encounter.

He said he can’t help me because he was writing a report. He is more of a report writer than a problem solver. Now wonder why many ratepayers were affected by typhoid and those in a position to do something about it were busy writing blue prints and doing nothing.

Mr Nhundu, especially that one, does not deserve a single cent of the rate payers’ money.

It hit me, I need to see the town clerk. Unfortunately she was not in her office at the time of my arrival. I was referred to two gentlemen in the office of the assistant auditor. Unfortunately I did not take their names.

Amazing people, true civil servants, statesman in their own right. They listened, understood why I was unhappy and empathised. They suggested I pay $10 as was earlier suggested by Mr Ruzvidzo or start a long legal battle that would be time consuming and unfortunate.

They apologised for the inconvenience caused. They conceded the by-law of pre-paid parking tickets was not sitting on all fours. Bless them, good men; Zimbabwe can do with 13 million like them.

I took the sober advice and paid $10. I will fight Gweru city council or rather the unfortunate by law later. Honestly speaking Gweru City Council is suffering from the nostalgia of the extortionist tendencies of the previous regime. This is a new Zimbabwe we can’t take money from citizens because they have committed an offence of driving a car. Gweru has to stop it.

I Suggest that:
1) Gweru city Council increase the number of parking disc sellers.
2) They need to stop the practise of clamping vehicles, its primitive and reminiscent of Chihuri’s spikes
3) If they want their prepaid disc they can still have it by means of selling on line, partnering Zinara and selling at tollgates, selling electronically by means of mobile money but they must invest in proper gadgets.
4) Putting parking meters
5) Putting huge bill boards written Welcome to Gweru, please don’t park without a pre-paid parking disc.

If they put all these measures in place, they can enjoy using the wheel clamps failure of which they are risking a lawsuit. They must be warned.

In short the beautiful city of Gweru is being tarnished by trigger happy clamp-wielding city council police details and arrogant staff manning town house. This has to stop.

Disgruntled motorist, Bulawayo