Zimbabwe to provide 200 police officers for FIFA World Cup

Senior sources within the ZRP told The Zimbabwean that over 200 junior and senior ranking police officers will be sent to South Africa to provide security at the worlds biggest soccer showpiece, which begins on June 11 and ends on July 11.

The police officers have already been selected and taken through training in a curriculum that includes riot drill and public relations, in readiness for deployment at the World Cup, said a Harare-based Superintendent. The officers will be in South Africa for the duration of the World Cup, but will be expected to return about two weeks after the tournament, depending on the situation there.

South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson, Nonkululeko Mbatha, confirmed that Zimbabwe was among the countries providing security at the World Cup. We asked for back-up from members of the SARPCCO (Southern African Police Chiefs Co-operation Organisation) and Zimbabwe is one of the SARPCCO members, that is why they will provide officers, said Mbatha. She however, would not provide the finer details of the ZRPs involvement, saying The Zimbabwean should write her an email.

However the email sent to her three weeks ago was not responded to by the time of going to print. South Africa has promised a total deployment of over 46 000 police officers at the World Cup. ZRP national spokesman, Wayne Bvudzjena, last Friday refused to comment on the issue to The Zimbabwean. The ZRP, under the command of Commissioner Augustine Chihuri, is regarded as one of the worst violators of human rights in the world, but has continued to be selected for international peacekeeping missions, including those run by the United Nations.

Chihuri, a self-proclaimed supporter of President Robert Mugabes party, is one of the security chiefs who previously vowed that they would never salute Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai even if he won the countrys Presidential elections.