Chronicle Editor
Boitumelo Makhurane, Court Reporter
A 44-YEAR-OLD pirate kombi driver was arrested along the Bulawayo-Harare Road just before the Ntabazinduna Tollgate for illegally transporting passengers in violation of Covid-19 lockdown regulations.
The country is on enhanced level 4 lockdown and intercity travel is banned.
Charles Mpitanyanga was arrested by police while he was picking and dropping passengers along the highway.
Mpitanyanga was not asked to plead to charges of violating lockdown regulations when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Steven Ndlovu on Saturday. He was remanded to August 11 on $5 000 bail.
Prosecutor, Ms Karen Gundani said on Monday last week, Mpitanyanga allegedly violated the inter-city travel ban when he attempted to ferry passengers to Gweru.
“On 26 July at the 402 km peg along the Harare-Bulawayo Road, Mpitanyanga was arrested while transporting passengers between cities in violation of lockdown regulations,” said Ms Gundani.
Pirate taxis and buses or mshikashika continue to illegally engage in inter-city travel and it has since emerged that some are evading police roadblocks while others are allegedly bribing police officers.
Last week, police in Bulawayo said since the beginning of July, they had arrested 31 000 people for violating Covid-19 regulations and impounded 382 vehicles. -@Boity104
Online Reporter