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Municipal Reporter
Harare City Council has been urged to register and allow illegal taxi operators, popularly known as “mushikashika”, to operate freely in the central business district so as to expand its revenue base.

Speaking at a pre-Budget consultation meeting between the city and various stakeholders, Secretary for the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development Mrs Evelyn Ndlovu said her ministry would also register them as co-operatives.

“You must address the issue of mushikashika once and for all. You should allow them to operate, make them formal and make some money in the process. You should emulate what was done in Bulawayo, they were formalised and they are not even a menace in the CBD.

“Our ministry will make sure that they are registered as co-operatives since you cannot get rid of them,” she said.

In response, Acting Town Clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube said the move will hamper Harare’s vision to become a world- class city by 2025.

“Registering ‘mushikashika’ is not a solution to our problem. We intend to achieve a world-class city status by 2025 and such decisions will not help our cause.

“For the safety of our people we will not do that. ‘Mushikashika’ is really a nightmare, we do not want to go that way,” she said.

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.

Harare City Council traffic officers have softened their stance against the offenders following a spate of arrests and imprisonment of their colleagues while enforcing city by-laws.

So far, 10 city traffic officers have been jailed for criminal abuse of duty after towing away vehicles without issuing an impounding ticket.

The city is now in the process of amending the traffic by-laws to avoid such future incidents.

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