Cabinet Grants Municipal Police Arrest Powers, Courts

Zimbabwe’s Cabinet approved the Municipal Police and Courts Bill on Tuesday, granting municipal officers arresting powers and paving the way for dedicated municipal courts, iHarare News reported. The government says the law will enhance by-law enforcement and community safety, but critics see a power grab, and residents of Harare and Bulawayo immediately pushed back, predicting a ‘dog-eat-dog’ situation, according to NewZimbabwe.com. Critics fear the poorly rated municipal officers, often accused of corruption, will abuse their new authority to extort and harass. The bill bypasses national police oversight, creating a parallel justice system with limited checks and no clear appeal process. The legislation shifts coercive power to local authorities, bypassing the national police’s accountability mechanisms and creating a parallel justice system vulnerable to political capture.