On 28 October 2008 at around 11:30 hours at Gilchrist and Cooksey Shop along Julius Nyerere Way, Harare, six appellants who were members of the Harare Municipal Police allegedly towed and impounded an omnibus (registration number ADC 3843) parked and driven by Mike Matambo before issuing a ticket for the alleged offence. They were charged with criminal abuse of duty as public officers under s 174(1)(a)(b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23]. The State alleged this conduct contravened S.I. 104 of 2005 (Harare Clamping and Tow Away By-laws 2005) and was done to show disfavour to Matambo. The appellants were convicted at the magistrate's court and appealed both conviction and sentence to the High Court.
The conviction was quashed and the sentence was set aside. The appeal was upheld.
To secure a conviction under s 174(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act for criminal abuse of duty as a public officer, the State must prove: (1) that the accused is a public officer; (2) that in exercising their functions, they intentionally did something contrary to or inconsistent with their duty; and (3) that this was done for the purpose of showing favour or disfavour to any person. A contravention of administrative by-laws or statutory instruments does not per se constitute criminal abuse of duty under s 174. The prosecution must choose between charging under subsection (a) (doing something contrary to duty) or subsection (b) (omitting to do something) and cannot charge both alternatives simultaneously. Municipal police officers have statutory authority under various legislation to remove vehicles obstructing roads, and exercising such lawful authority does not constitute acting inconsistently with their duties.
The Court noted that the charge was "rather inelegantly drafted" and observed that it appeared someone discovered S.I. 104 of 2005 and convinced the police to press charges under s 174 of the Code, suggesting the prosecution may have been misconceived from the outset. The Court also corrected a clerical error in the initial order, noting that the correct composition of the bench was Hungwe and Wamambo JJ, not Hungwe and Mabhikwa JJ as originally recorded.
This case is significant in Zimbabwean criminal law as it clarifies the elements required to prove criminal abuse of duty by a public officer under s 174 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. It establishes that merely contravening administrative by-laws or regulations does not automatically constitute criminal abuse of duty. The prosecution must prove that the public officer acted contrary to or inconsistent with their duty AND did so for the purpose of showing favour or disfavour. The case also emphasizes the importance of proper charge formulation and the need for the State to prove all essential elements of the offence beyond reasonable doubt. It further clarifies that municipal police officers have statutory authority under various legislation to remove vehicles obstructing roads without necessarily issuing tickets at the point of removal.