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Chief Supt Nyathi

Freeman Razemba Crime Reporter
Police yesterday impounded two Smart Express buses as investigations into the death of Mathias Gore after being manhandled by touts at a pick up point near Roadport Bus Terminus along Robert Mugabe Road, continue.

No arrests have been made yet, but the pick up point was deserted yesterday as police vowed to continue barring buses and touts from operating from the area. National police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi on Tuesday said they were going to keep patrolling the area to ensure that no bus or commuter omnibus would be allowed to pick up passengers.

He also warned police officers in the habit of taking money from touts to give them free reign that they faced arrest. Meanwhile, the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe has condemned the conduct of touts countrywide. TSCZ spokesperson Mr Tatenda Chinoda said, “Our motto is ‘Safety first’, there is no second chance. Touts are not only illegal, but also animalistic. It is sad we lost the head of a family and a breadwinner in a typical traffic jungle.

“For them to continue touting they are being paid by someone. It is this someone who is doing something very wrong. Operators and bus drivers must run their business professionally or should be held accountable.” The Greater Harare Association of Commuter Operators (GHACO) chairman Mr Cosmas Mbonjani yesterday sent a condolence message to the Gore family.

“First and foremost our sincere condolences to Mrs Gore, the children, family and friends at the sad passing on of Mr Gore due to the unruly behaviour of touts.

“In light of this nasty incident and the general disorder that has beset our passenger transport sector, we humbly appeal to all authorities including law enforcers, policymakers, legislators and responsible ministries to work with us to deal holistically with this issue of touts and the disorder in the sector in general,” he said. Mr Mbonjani said touts must be removed from ranks for sanity to prevail.

“Council should take control of the ranks, if not, they must lease them to associations who will then be responsible for what is happening in those ranks. The number of ranks and their condition also need to be looked at critically and improved upon. The same ranks that have been there since time immemorial are the ones still in use yet the passenger vehicle population has increased significantly,” he said.