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by tkmunzwa 3340 days ago
Actual Zimbabwean here: you are so wrong I'll have to ask: have you ever been to Zimbabwe?

> Absolutely -- the police can be very corrupt in Zimbabwe so you don't want hard cash hanging around or it will be taken.

Yes, the police are corrupt but they won't rob you[1], they might try and coerce a bribe.

> The actually official Zimbabwe currency can't really be taken seriously because of insane inflation rates.

This is wrong. It has been wrong for close to a decade because Zimbabwe "demonetized" its currency (Zimbabwean dollar) in 2008 after an infamous bout of hyperinflation - you might have seen/heard of the 100 Trillion dollar note.

1. Unless you have been incapacitated by a traffic accident. A worrying trend has emerged in recent years where passers-by or attending police go through the car and belongings of dead/dying accident victims. See http://www.chronicle.co.zw/chiriseri-corpse-robber-cop-dies-...
1 comments
zimzam 3340 days ago
Is there really much practical difference between a police officer demanding a bribe and being robbed?

(I've never been to Zimbabwe: if there is a difference between cops "coercing" a bribe and what I'm assuming you mean I'd appreciate the clarification!)

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tkmunzwa 3340 days ago
> Is there really much practical difference between a police officer demanding a bribe and being robbed?

Yes: you can say no to coercion but you have no choice when you are being robbed.

Violence (or the threat of it) is a hallmark of robbery: Zimbabwean police will not do that at traffic stops - they are usually not armed. They will, however threaten to impound your vehicle for minor infractions (which would be illegal in most cases) and/or threaten to jail you to wait for your court date. Either of these situations will require paperwork and the money goes to the state and not their pockets, so they make you wait and reconsider the bribe, but eventually let you go. Usually.

Also, in the context of this thread, having cash or money in the bank makes no difference because traffic stops now have portable card machines for "spot fines"!

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