War vets, green bombers rob travellers

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Written by zimsupplies

Wednesday, 24 October 2007 16:18

FIGTREE - War veterans and members of the government's youth militia, otherwise known as the Green Bombers, are harassing travellers and bus crews along the Plumtree-Bulawayo Road, where they man 24-hour roadblocks.
Notorious for their violent behaviour against perceived opposition members, the state-sponsored thugs stop buses and commuters and ransack people's bags for imported goods.
They also harass public transport crews, whom they accuse of working with the MDC to try and incite a public revolt against Mugabe by continuously raising their fares.
"They have been there since the government launched its price-control operation three months ago. At first they demanded bus tickets from travellers and would commandeer a bus back if they found that people had been charged more than what the government stipulated. Now they have turned against cross-border travellers, whom they accuse of spreading wrong information about Mugabe when they go shopping in neighbouring countries," said Mkhulli Dube, a bus conductor who plies the Bulawayo-Francistown route.
Eye witnesses said the group, which alternates its roadblocks between Figtree and Marula business centres, confiscated imported goods such as bulk grocery and clothing items, claiming to be acting on orders from ruling party politicians.
"Reporting them to the police does not help at all because at times you find them together and police seem to be afraid of them. Sometimes they ask for bribes in foreign currency from travellers, but most of the time they take away your goods," added another traveller.
A policeman at Figtree police station confirmed the presence of the youths on the road last week.
"They say that they were deployed by the ruling party politicians here in Matabeleland South and there is nothing we can do against that because our actions might attract reprisals from both our bosses and the ruling party. Some of the things they do are not right but all that we can do is watch and do nothing because they are protected," said the policeman.
Police national spokesman, Chief Superintendent Oliver Mandipaka, refused to comment on the matter, saying he did not know about that. - Bayethe Zitha

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