For the third time in less than two weeks the Transit Assistance Bureau (Transist) has had to step in on behalf of transporters claiming that Zambia Police (ZP) officers are harassing them over not having first aid kits – which are not required for truck drivers in that country.
This morning a Transist spokesperson said that another case of “first aid kit bribery” had been reported from Kafue on the T2 road south of Lusaka.
The incident comes exactly a week after it was reported that ZP members were stopping trucks, asking to see their first aid kits, and demanding bribes where truck drivers could either not produce such kits or where the kits were said to be unsatisfactory.
Two days after last Monday’s incident, another incident of “first aid kit bribery” was reported at Chisamba north of Lusaka, also on the T2.
This morning, as with each and every time a truck is stopped by police seeking bribes, Transist had to ask government officials in Lusaka to instruct ZP that there was no clause under Zambia’s Road Traffic Act (RTA) that forced trucks to be equipped with first aid kits.
As pointed out by Transist last week, the ploy by police to intimidate drivers under the pretext of obeying an RTA requirement that doesn’t apply to transporters, is an old scam that routinely pops up in a country notorious for roadblocks and rotten cops.
A transporter has since told Transist: "The medical kit story has been happening for years and for years we have been reporting it."
The haulier, whose name has been withheld to protect him from victimisation, said Zambian authorities and officials from the Cross-border Road Transport Association had been approached about the matter on various occasions.
"You name it, we've tried it. When you ask for the name and force number of the police officers responsible, they refuse to give it."
Drivers have since been advised to refer ZP officials to section 17 of Zambia's RTA where it's clearly stated that the first aid kit requirement is only applicable to vehicles carrying passengers.
