Online Reporter
Post Reporter
FED up with touts extorting money from drivers and vendors, and harassing female commuters, Mutare residents have called on the city council to dissolve all commuter operators’ associations and replace them with a single, council-run body to police ranks and termini.
The demand follows a recent joint security blitz that restored order at the city’s pick up points, leading to the arrest of 153 touts and ending years in which unemployed gangs routinely intimidated passengers and shook down operators.
Residents, wary that the calm may be short lived, are urging council to deploy its own security personnel at the ranks.
They argue that a permanent presence would lock in the newfound orderliness while generating revenue to build toilets and shelters.
Mr Desire Dube of Fairbridge, said: “This is the right opportunity for the City of Mutare to take over all city ranks and provide good service to residents. The council should deploy its own marshals to collect revenue from all kombi operators, and that money should be channelled towards building rank shelters and installing digital cameras to monitor all activities at bus and kombi ranks.
“The cameras will make it easier to do business by monitoring corruption and any nefarious activities at the ranks. The council must now collect all revenue that used to go into individuals’ pockets and use it to improve the ranks. For example, the Penhalonga and Chigora ranks have gullies that are damaging the very kombis that are supposed to generate revenue for the council. I hope this message reaches the authorities with the power to act swiftly.”
Mr Chineni Mwangeni, of Zimta suburb said: “It is sad that revenue which could be used to improve our infrastructure was going into people’s pockets. We applaud the Government and its law enforcers for the latest move, but we are worried about how long this will last. As a matter of advice, authorities should allow Mutare City Council to take over operations at the city ranks. Their security officers can ensure orderliness while collecting revenue to improve facilities within our ranks.”
Mr Tatenda Tandire of Dangamvura said: “In the first place, I do not see the need for so many commuter representative associations. If anything, to me this is about people taking away what is supposed to benefit the public. Those associations should be merged into one, and the representatives should work with the council to maintain orderliness in our ranks.”
Mutare has four commuter operators’ representative organisations – Manicaland Drivers and Transporters Association (MDATA); Sakubva Commuter Transporters union of Africa (SCUTA); Urban Link; Progressive Trust and Manicaland Transporters Association.
Contacted for comment, MDATA founder and president, Mr Saul Tomu, said:
“In my opinion, the National Transport and Drivers Association (NTDA), which I led at national level, was an ideal set-up. We thought having one association would be good, but infiltration by touts and politicians led to the failure of a single representative organisation. Back then we had branches in big cities like Harare and Bulawayo, but everything collapsed because of selfish interests.
“To be honest, one or two associations will solve our problems, but because of corruption and self-interest we ended up with so many of these associations. You find that some of the leaders collect money to finance personal interests, including paying touts and other nefarious activities. In the interest of democracy, it will be good to have two associations so that drivers can choose the one they want to join.”
The creation of commuter operators’ associations was originally intended to make law enforcement easier, because if an operator is a member of a branded association, it is easy for law enforcers to trace them when necessary.
Mutare mayor, Councillor Simon Chabuka said: “On the issue of ranks, I think the operators were the ones fuelling the rank marshals, thereby shutting out other players, including the council. I personally agree that it is time we take over and rebuild the broken infrastructure. We may have funding challenges, but we have a model in which operators under MDATA, SCUTA and others can be engaged to help manage the installation of toilets, shelters and all other infrastructure needed in our ranks. From our talks with SCUTA, they said they are able to erect shelters and build toilets, but remember we also have problems with residents themselves – like what Hosiah Chipanga said in that Kwachu-Kwachu song, residents vandalise these facilities.”
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