4 kombi crews arrested for causing mayhem

following a high-speed chase with the police.
Thousands of commuters in Harare were stranded after commuter omnibus operators hiked fares to as much as US$2 in some routes.
The kombi crews claimed they raised the fares from US50 cents to between US$1 and US$2 to raise money to pay traffic police.
Harare provincial police spokesperson Inspector James Sabau yesterday said they also impounded two kombis following a high-speed chase in Epworth.
“The four suspects are still detained at Braeside Police Station and were arrested following a high-speed chase with the police reaction team,” he said.
Insp Sabau said one commuter omnibus operator reported that he had been assaulted by his colleagues.
He was accused of ferrying people to Epworth instead of joining the protests.
The police reaction team was dispatched to the area and spotted the crew who sped off resulting in a high-speed chase. Two of the suspects — driver and a conductor were arrested resulting in the kombi being impounded.
Another crew, which was trailing other operators from a service station along Chiremba Road to Epworth, was also arrested.
Insp Sabau said the operators who were making noise were those operating illegally.
He said these were the same operators who mislead the public that police were manning roadblocks and soliciting for bribes.
“We have been impounding kombis to Chikurubi and according to the law these vehicles should be inspected by the Vehicle Inspection Department for defects,” Insp Sabau said.
He said once defects are found the VID officers would forfeit the kombi’s certificate of fitness, licence disc and the registration book.
The owner would be allowed to take his or her kombi for repairs before taking it back to the VID for inspection and certification.
“Instead of repairing these vehicles, the operators put them back on the roads again without the necessary documents. And the more we continue to issue tickets to them, the more they are going to comply with the law,” Insp Sabau said.
On Monday, the most affected commuters were from Epworth, Msasa Park and Hatfield. Chitungwiza kombi crews joined in the protest fares later in the day on Monday.
Police said they would not be intimidated by the operators’ stance.
People had to walk into town in the morning and the situation remained the same until in the evening.
The kombi crews claimed police roadblocks were now money spinning ventures for traffic cops. They also claimed that kombis belonging to police officers were operating undisturbed.
According to police of the 4 500 commuter omnibuses operating in Harare, only 1 000 were on the road legally.
Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri recently said traffic officers will remain deployed on the roads carrying out their lawful duties despite allegations of rampant corruption.
This comes in the wake of several people who were alleging that the high presence of police officers on the roads was to take bribes from the people.
Comm-Gen Chihuri said the traffic unit had formed the anti-corruption committees in all provinces to aggressively deal with corruption within its ranks.