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A pirate taxi in Harare

Innocent Ruwende Municipal Reporter
Commuter omnibuses and pirate taxis are wreaking havoc in the city centre, picking up passengers at undesignated points and driving against the flow of traffic after Harare City Council traffic officers softened their stance against the offenders.

The officers mellowed on their position following a spate of arrests and imprisonment of their colleagues while enforcing city by-laws.

In February four traffic officers were jailed 18 months for criminal abuse of duty after assaulting a commuter omnibus driver and towing away his vehicle without issuing an impounding ticket.

The city cops have since filed an appeal with the Supreme Court after their application was dismissed by the High Court.

The Greater Harare Association of Commuter Omnibus Operators has since written to council complaining that compliant operators were losing business due to lack of protection from the errant operators.

“It must be noted there was a slight improvement after our meeting, but the situation later and all of a sudden degenerated into deep chaos, with mushika-shika operated by errant unregistered kombis without adequate papers and pirate taxis sprouting at almost every corner of the Central Business District.

“This untold chaos started after your traffic enforcement virtually folded its hands following a spate of arrests and imprisonment of some of its officers for criminal abuse of office. The issues and actions, which led to these arrests are not new as we discussed them with council officials at all levels without any solution,” reads the letter.