An alleged corrupt rank marshal has found himself in trouble after a dissatisfied commuter omnibus driver reported him to the police for extortion.
Cathbert Chamwakaona, a 29-year-old resident of Budiriro 5A in Harare, is facing charges of extortion due to his alleged demand that all commuter omnibuses pay US$2 per trip when they use the Market Square bus terminus.
The rank marshal, along with two of his colleagues who are still at large, was reported to the police by the commuter omnibus driver.
Chamwakaona appeared before Harare magistrate Apolonia Marutya yesterday.
As per the information provided by prosecutor Rufaro Chonzi, the arr3st of Cathbert Chamwakaona was made based on a tip-off from Jephat Motsi, a commuter omnibus driver who had been a v!ctim of the extortion.
Motsi had allegedly been subjected to thre@ts by Chamwakaona and his colleagues, who claimed to have ownership over the Market Square bus rank. The rank marshals reportedly demanded US$2 for each trip undertaken by the commuter omnibuses.
Over a span of 19 months, Motsi had allegedly been making the US$2 payment per trip, as revealed in the court proceedings.
Chonzi also told the court that Motsi was motivated to report the unlawful acts after realising that he was paying the marshals US$940 every month on an average of 26 days.
Meanwhile, Mangosi last week granted US$100 bail to another rank marshal, Nelson Makonese, for allegedly extorting US$4 000 from commuter omnibus drivers in Harare.
SOURCE : NEWSDAY
