AFTER ALL, who pays the salaries of traffic police officers? The Ministry of the Interior or the public passenger transport companies? This is probably a question that doesn't require a simple answer, given the complexity of the subject, but it could lead us to reflect deeply on what is happening to the members of that body.

We decided to dedicate this space to reflecting a little on a subject that is already common knowledge, including that of the legal authorities. We're talking about the corruption that exists within the Traffic Police. In fact, we all know how some officers behave when they are on the road, because more than regulating traffic, they are looking to collect the "Samora" or "cem cem" or if you prefer the famous "refresco". Last week we visited the province of Gaza, specifically the city of Xai Xai, and it was sad and regrettable what our eyes saw and witnessed.

Throughout the trip, it became clear that motorists can drive at excessive speed, with vehicles in poor mechanical condition or even without the relevant documentation, all it takes is for the driver to have a "hundred". In these conditions, they pass by as if everything was fine. And our biggest surprise was when we followed a conversation between the collector and the driver, from which we learned that the police officers make a daily xitique from the money collected on the road.

From Maxixe to Xai-Xai, the driver shelled out just over a thousand meticais to pay the traffic officers because he had to pay "a hundred" at each checkpoint.

This act has become normal on the road, so the question arises: who pays the traffic police?

Are our police really on the streets to regulate traffic or to extort citizens who take to the road in a car? Does the Ministry of the Interior not pay their salaries properly?

How to combat or avoid accidents with this type of behavior?

On an almost daily basis, we hear sad news from the media, including this one, about families mourning the loss of a loved one in a road accident.

These are accidents that could have been avoided if the traffic regulators had carried out their duties with pride and professionalism and without allowing themselves to be corrupted by drivers who speed or who don't have all the required documentation or who hit the road with vehicles in terrible mechanical condition.

In fact, this is a practice that unfortunately happens not only in the Traffic Police, but in almost all sectors of activity, whether public or private.

Something must be done to put an end to this practice.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge all the traffic regulators who carry out their work lawfully and without resorting to corruption schemes to make money. You deserve our respect (Jornal Notícias, text by Crespo Cuamba & Armindo Vilanculos).