350 touts locked up

Ivan Zhakata Herald Correspondent
More than 350 touts have been arrested for harassing passengers at Harare’s bus terminuses since Christmas Eve.

In an interview yesterday, police national spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the operation seeks to flush out touts.

“As far as we are concerned, the police are enforcing law and order during this festive season,” he said.

“We have had complaints that touts were harassing passengers and we had to enforce the law. So far, we have arrested more than 350 touts from the 24th of December, but the number is increasing.

“We have been having this operation against touts for some time now and the sad thing is we have had a tout who fell to death while he was hanging from the back of a commuter omnibus. Many passengers are complaining why we are conducting such operations, but we are trying to maintain sanity in the city,” Asst Comm Nyathi said.

He said the operation was not targeting kombi operators, but those operating illegally.

“It is not a battle against commuter omnibus or bus operators, but we want to make sure that the passengers are safe during the festive season.

“We would like people to embark on their journeys on designated areas to avoid being victims of the operation,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.