Online Reporter
Zimpapers Correspondent
BULAWAYO commuters have called for the “Mutare model” to be used on local bus termini to flush out rank cartels, as law enforcement agencies launch a massive nationwide blitz to reclaim transport hubs from violent illegal tax collectors.
The operation, which has already seen the liberation of major termini in Mutare, marks a decisive shift toward restoring the rule of law in the country’s urban centres.
Following the success in Manicaland—where 57 touts were netted in a single swoop—there are growing calls for these high-intensity operations to be replicated in the City of Kings.
In Manicaland, the Joint Operations Command (JOC)—a unified force comprising the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), and the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS)—successfully dismantled a sophisticated extortion ring.
Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka, confirmed the arrests, stating that law enforcement agents remain “on top of the situation.”
“Our teams immediately went onto the ground and made 57 arrests. We want to keep sufficient pressure on the culprits until the situation is contained,” he said.
While Mutare celebrates its newfound peace, residents in Bulawayo are demanding the same heavy-handed protection to clear local ranks like Entumbane, Renkini, and the “6th Avenue” area.
Mr Sibangilizwe Ndlovu, a regular traveller at the Entumbane rank, stated that only a joint force could dismantle the entrenched local cartels.
”The police alone are sometimes overwhelmed. We need the JOC—the army and the police together—to descend on these ranks as they did in Mutare. These touts have no respect for anyone; it is time the big guns moved in to protect us,” he said.
Echoing these sentiments, Miss Khethiwe Moyo, a Bulawayo resident, said the city needs to see the same “Mutare results” to ensure passenger safety.
”We hear how peaceful Mutare has become. We want that here. They need a force that will show them that the government is in charge, not them,” she added.
Before the intervention in the eastern border city, marauding touts had seized control of the ranks, demanding an illegal $2 “loading fee” for every passenger.
This illicit tax was enforced through a “jungle of lawlessness” where bus crews and commuters were routinely harassed.
The severity of the situation was recently highlighted by the arrest of Tafadzwa Simbarasi in Harare.
Simbarasi allegedly led a violent blockade against the Manica-Go bus fleet—donated by President Mnangagwa for youth empowerment—after the operators refused to pay illegal rank fees.
Mrs Alice Mutasa, a regular traveller, described the daily ordeal: “It was a nightmare. You could not even reach the bus door without being harassed by five men demanding money or grabbing your luggage.”
Sorry, touts are back on Mutare bus ranks. What happens is they pay police details and are allowed back. Those arrested admit guilt, pay a small token fine, are released and go back to the ranks and it is business as usual. It’s a lie that police is overwhelmed. Police is part and parcel of tout operations, just as they are part and parcel of illegal Kombi and mishikashika operations. If they did their job properly we wouldn’t see so many unroadworthy vehicles on the roads. Ask any Kombi operator about the modus operandi they use to avoid being checked and taken off the roads if their vehicles aren’t roadworthy. Kombi drivers know exactly which police details would be manning roadblocks well before they go onto the road. They pay the bribes through third parties upfront and operate without problems throughout the day. This happens daily and the top brass in the police force is very much aware of this. It’s a blatant lie for the Police spokesperson Comm. Nyathi to claim that he doesn’t know anything about what goes on. So let us not get excited about this token action done in Mutare. The touts are back! Ask any bus operator using those ranks.