Roselyne Sachiti and Prosper Dembedza
Downtown Harare is an interesting section of the city’s Central Business District. Ahaven of most “illegal” activities man can invent, it is a place where anything can happen.

From women being booed for wearing mini-skirts to vendors selling groceries, fruits, shoes, second- hand and new clothes, and hair accessories, skin lightening creams at undesignated points — this part of town bursts with a kind of life only the streetwise can appreciate.

It is also home to street preachers trying to reach out to one or two lost souls, loud music and street theatre.

Musicians like Amos Mahendere and the “Go Chanaiwa Go’ film crew sell their CDs from car boots just as vendors deal in pirated films and music nearby.

At Copacabana and Market Square ranks, thousands of commuters pass through as they board and are dropped off by kombis.

Others intending to go to as far as Fourth Street board the notorious pirate taxis at ranks known as “mushika-shika” to quickly cover the almost 1,5km distance.

In this part of town, people talk about anything including the kombi ranks’ chaos.

The pirate taxis have been and continue to fill in the gap by providing shuttle services for the commuting public from Copacabana and Market Square ranks to Fifth Street and back.

And as usual, people have something new to talk about. There is a new service in town.

Indeed, if you can’t beat them join them and Harare did just that recently.

City fathers say they launched a shuttle bus service in a bid to restore sanity and the beauty of the capital city.

The shuttle service is part of the Operation Bumha Rutsva Guta Ngarichene which is also focusing on illegal vendors.

Given their current competition, will the city stand firm and elbow out the pirate taxis? City of Harare’s human capital and public safety director Dr Cainos Chingombe explained their latest project: “The shuttle service is being operated by a group of minibus owners who are replacing those who had been operating illegally.

“The operation is a direct response to calls by the pedestrian public to reclaim our pavements from the commuting residents to take ownership of our streets and roads.”

He said council designated six pick-up and drop-off points to be used by the shuttle service saying this would make CBD roads better.

The shuttle service will pick and drop passengers along Fifth Street at the Fourth Street bus rank, corner Fourth and Jason Moyo, Food World (between Angwa and Orr streets), Chinhoyi Street and Speke Avenue, Bute and Abercorn streets and at TM Supermarket along Kenneth Kaunda Avenue.

The pick-up points are clearly marked.

“Drivers of the shuttle service are identifiable by reflector bibs written ‘Shuttle Service’ on the back and front. Ten minibuses that are clearly marked ‘Shuttle Service’ on the front and rear have been cleared to offer the service and they are charging three rand or 30 cents,” he said.

While the city officials clearly spell out their noble project, commuters fear that there will be a “war” for customers between the pirate taxis and registered kombis.

If anything, the pirate taxi numbers continue to grow and they might become more daring.

The small vehicles range from Toyota Raums, Toyota Spacios, Toyota Runx’s and a variety of other second-hand vehicles from Japan.

Already, they have been a road hazard and death trap not only for motorists but innocent and unsuspecting pedestrians.

“The way they drive as they race along Robert Mugabe Road to the Fourth Street terminus with touts hanging precariously is chilling. What more if they have competition which is charging less? We should brace for the worst,” said commuter Mrs Letwin Gunda.

Said another commuter, Jah Peter: “The stretch along Julius Nyerere Way from Robert Mugabe Road to Herbert Chitepo Avenue is the pirate taxi domain.

“Life along roads in the stretch between Kenneth Kaunda Avenue and Fourth Street is a nightmare for other road users.

“I hope the new City of Harare-controlled kombis will push out pirate taxis.”

Martha, who regularly commutes using pirate cars, explains her horrific experience: “One day, a driver, without warning and in a split second just applied brakes in front of another vehicle to pick up passengers. He did not even apologise.”

Pirate taxi drivers like Tawengwa also have their fears. They might lose their source of income if elbowed out by council. “We survive on mushika-shika. Our children are in school because of mushika-shika. We are now being arrested and our vehicles impounded by council municipal police who constantly chase us,” Tawengwa said.

He said the City Fathers should be ashamed because they failed to see business potential in them. They should also regularise them, he suggested.

“People are ignoring the council shuttle buses even though they are cheaper. They take a lot of time to load as compared to our taxis,” explained Tawengwa.

The city’s shuttle buses, he boasts, cannot compete with them. Council has to find small vehicles like their taxis which fill up quickly. Pirate taxi operators from Market Square are unfazed by the developments.

People are shunning the shuttle buses and it is business as usual for them.

“This is because 90 percent of commuters board our taxis which carry only five passengers as compared the shuttle buses which require 18,” said another mushika- shika driver.

It’s a different outcome for touts around the CBD. They are complaining.

The shuttle buses have disturbed their business.

“We survive on loading pirate taxis and get five rand (50 cents) per car. When the shuttle kombis come, their conductors load them robbing us of our livelihood,” fumed a tout who identified himself as Simbarashe.

Other commuters described the shuttle service as refreshing.

“This is a good initiative by the city council. The shuttle service makes our life easier as we are now paying less bus fare.

“We hope council will register more shuttle kombis,” said a commuter who identified herself as Amai George.

Meanwhile, Dr Chingombe said those who had been operating at the “mushika- shika” should quickly move out to pave way for the regularised shuttle service.

There are 150 members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Military Police and municipal officers who will be part of an operation to restore sanity at these points.

“Those who are operating at these points illegally should quickly stop. They risk being arrested by municipal police and traffic enforcement officers who are now on the ground restoring sanity and order.

“Members of the force will put on civilian attire and will board and arrest the illegal operators and impound their vehicles,” he warned.

 

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Dr Chingombe added they hope that the shuttle buses will be painted in one colour for easy identification by commuters.

“We are not banning them completely from operating this business but if they wish to continue they must organise themselves into associations and register with the city council to get approval,” he said.

He urged the pirate taxi operators to follow suit and buy bigger vehicles that will they register with council.

“We are looking at extending the service to the Avenues area as well. The vehicles are fully insured and will offer comfort to the public.

“Council realises the important part played by the operators and is willing to meaningfully engage them to devise lasting solutions,” Dr Chingombe added.

He revealed that council also designated pick-up and drop-off points for commuter public transporters using the Bindura, Mazowe, Chiweshe, Shamva and Mvurwi routes saying they would pick up and drop off passengers at the corner of Sam Nujoma Street and Fife Avenue.

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