> Let's Forward this Post Everywhere ❕ *HOT NEWS* 🔥‼️ *“Toenda Newe!”: Rogue ZRP traffic officers are now hijacking cars in broad daylight* ‼️ > *_Source: By Miriam Tose Majome via B-Metro_* https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaDbHKp3GJOtlMM4PA39 https://wa.me/263718497005?text=advert “STOP, open the door, and drive to the station!” Those dreaded words have become a daily horror script for Zimbabwean motorists, delivered with casual menace by uniformed traffic cops leaning into car windows like it’s a taxi rank. It’s not because you’ve murdered someone. Maybe your tail light’s out. Maybe your licence disk is fading. Or maybe, just maybe, you did absolutely nothing. But still, the passenger door swings open, and in jumps the cop with a smug “Toenda newe.” Welcome to Zimbabwe’s roads, where traffic cops commandeer private vehicles with zero legal backing, morphing routine stops into hostage situations with drivers forced to chauffeur officers to the station, or else! Most traffic officers do honest work. But a rotten crop has turned law enforcement into a mobile extortion racket, hijacking cars and demanding “resolutions” in the cramped privacy of your own backseat. Let’s be clear: it’s illegal. There is no law in the Road Traffic Act that gives cops the power to jump into your car and declare it a free ZRP shuttle. They can arrest you. They can impound your vehicle under specific conditions. But turning your car into their Uber? Never! “It’s madness,” says lawyer and media commissioner Miriam Tose Majome. “Imagine someone wants to arrest you, but needs to borrow your car and driving skills to do it. It’s unlawful detention. It’s kidnapping. Full stop.” And it’s not just about the law. It’s about power, fear, and the twisted psychology of intimidation. Drivers comply out of panic; afraid of delays, scared of losing their cars, or worse, being sucked into a maze of storage fees, impound lots, and shady negotiations. “Manga mati toita sei mother?” Those words echo like a trapdoor slamming shut. You’re alone. The officer is now judge, jury, and passenger. Every second becomes a negotiation soaked in anxiety and subtle threats. One officer in Harare learnt the hard way. After jumping into a private car, the vehicle crashed at Kelvin Corner. The officer suffered serious facial injuries. Now insurers and bosses are pretending they never knew him. Why? Because the moment he entered that vehicle without authority, he became an unauthorised passenger. Insurance won’t touch it. Traffic officers are trained. They know drivers are in a rush. They know you don’t want trouble. That’s how they win. But that fear is their power and it must be deflated. So what can you do? Say no. And mean it. Refuse to let them into your car. Calmly. Politely. But firmly. Insist that if you’re under arrest, you’ll wait for their vehicle. Call your breakdown service. Whip out your phone and start recording. Ask for their name and force number. Demand to see their ID. Tell them your insurance does not allow unauthorised passengers. Tell them it’s not your fault they don’t have a ticket book. Quote Section 50 of the Constitution: freedom from arbitrary detention. And if they insist, call the ZRP complaints number right there: 0242 703631. Until laws are enforced and policy is fixed, drivers must push back respectfully, lawfully, and with ironclad confidence. Because letting a cop ride shotgun shouldn’t be the cost of driving in Zimbabwe. (Miriam Tose Majome is a lawyer and a Commissioner with the Zimbabwe Media Commission. She writes in her personal capacity) *WhatsApp your traffic horror stories to B-Metro on +263 776 201 133 your voice matters!*