adminAddressing stakeholders at a crime awareness campaign in Bulawayo on Friday, national Deputy Officer Commanding Traffic, Assistant Commissioner Kenny Mthombeni said he was aware that unregistered vehicles continued to multiply on Bulawayo’s roads because most of them belonged to police officers.
Asst Comm Mthombeni was responding to a question by a member of the public, who wanted to know why pirate taxis still existed despite numerous police operations to eliminate them.
“I spoke about the issue last time I was here and I am surprised the problem still persists. We are aware that there may be reluctance to weed out these unregistered vehicles because most of them probably belong to police officers,” said Asst Comm Mthombeni, to applause from stakeholders.
He urged members of the public to take down licence plates of the vehicles and forward them to the police, together with the name(s) of the officers so that action could be taken against them.
“I am giving an instruction that when I next visit Bulawayo, these vehicles should no longer be operating. It is worrying that these vehicles, especially Ipsums and Noahs continue operating illegally and causing chaos by picking and dropping passengers at undesignated points,” said Asst Comm Mthombeni.
He warned members of the public against using unregistered vehicles saying criminals use them to rob people.
Asst Comm Mthombeni said the vehicles also did not have passenger insurance and it would be difficult for passengers to get compensation in case of accidents.
“Members of the public should be warned that they are also breaking the law by using pirate taxis and as such, are liable to arrest,” he said.
Police have stepped up campaigns against corruption within their ranks by taking action visible to the public to encourage an all-stakeholder approach against the scourge.
Last year 123 police officers, 30 of them from the traffic section, were arrested for corruption and 32 have since been discharged from the force while some cases are still pending.
Registered public transporters have in recent years raised concern against pirates, accusing them of taking business away from them. They called for police protection arguing that they paid taxes; registration and route permit fees among other overheads which the pirates did not face.
Unregistered vehicle owners on the other hand said they existed at the behest of passengers who were tired of ill-treatment by kombi crews. Taxi wars erupted over the issue late last year. Registered operators formed groups that were involved in high speed chases with their unregistered counterparts as they battled for passengers, thereby endangering passengers and pedestrians.
In some eastern suburbs, kombis had virtually disappeared as they lost the war for passengers against smaller vehicles, which flouted the law to make door to door deliveries — a sole mandate of metered taxis.
Online Reporter