Kabaza operators, police meet over security issues

Police in Dowa District have pledged to investigate motorcycle thefts and attacks on kabaza operators from Dzaleka Refugee Camp.

This follows six reported cases of attacks on the motorcycle operators between June 2023 and January 2024.

Speaking in a meeting with the operators on Monday, Dowa Police station officer Eric Sokwane bemoaned the situation and pledged to protect the operators.

He said: “We would be pleased if the perpetrators are brought to book because we are here to protect you and everyone else. As such, we will investigate the reported cases.

“As a way forward, we also pledge to engage community leaders around Dzaleka Refugee Camp, community policing forums and representatives and leaders of motorcycle taxi operators from the camp and the community.”

Inua Advocacy liaison and advocacy officer Matchona Phiri, whose organisation facilitated the interaction, said the meeting demonstrated the potential for the organisation and other stakeholders, including the government, to collectively resolve issues affecting refugees and asylum seekers in the country.

He said: “The meeting helped to de-escalate the tension that was building for several weeks among the motorbike taxi operators around the camp.

“It also unearthed a gap in the provision of security in and around the camp. With the current setup, officers are provided on a monthly rotation basis, which does not work well for continuity.”

In a separate interview, the camp’s leader for the Congolese, Ismael Swedi, said he was relieved that the assailants were not particularly targeting refugees, but the motorcycles.

“After the meeting, we briefed the camp’s kabaza operators and now they understand that they are not necessarily the targets, but their motorcycles,” he said.