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Pamela Shumba Senior Reporter
POLICE in anti-riot gear were deployed to maintain order yesterday when commuter omnibus crews plying the Nketa, Emganwini and Nkulumane routes in Bulawayo went on strike, protesting against alleged police harassment.
They said police set up too many roadblocks on their routes and demanded bribes to let them pass through each check-point. They also alleged the police highway patrol BMW vehicle – commonly referred to as imoto etshontsha imali by touts allegedly due to excessive bribes – was threatening the viability of their business as officers manning the vehicle demanded bribes in excess of $20.
The maximum traffic fine police officers can impose on the spot is $20.
Hundreds of commuters were stranded yesterday when the kombi operators vowed not to get their vehicles back on the road, until police stopped “milking them.”
There were chaotic scenes as the protestors blocked the road, to ensure no vehicle, even private cars, ferried commuters into the city centre.
A disgruntled commuter said: “This is madness, how can anti-riot police officers watch as these thugs force us out of kombis that are prepared to work. Even with their number plates covered, they’re known. The police are afraid to confront them because they always accept bribes from them.”
Drivers and conductors told The Chronicle they sometimes bribed police with more money than the average $40 they make in a day.
“We’re on the road to earn a livelihood for our families. The situation now means we’re working for police officers manning the Plumtree Road route. They’re forcing us to give them money for unclear offences. At the end of the day, we’ve no money left because they’ve so many roadblocks and one has to pay just to drive through,” said a conductor, only identified as Mbuso.
A kombi driver said vehicles on the route were finding it difficult to make a profit.
“How do you expect us to survive when we’ve to stop four times on a 13km route and give someone money ranging between $3 and $20?” he fumed.
“What angers us most is that these police cars are only seen along Plumtree Road. They never patrol other routes.”
Another driver, Malvin Sibanda, said traffic police officers were making their lives hell and putting passengers’ lives at risk. “Most of the times we’re forced to flee from the police because the money we get is too little for us to share with the police. We’ve families to feed and these cars have owners, who want their money at the end of the day.
“They’re always chasing us, putting people’s lives at risk. If you tell them you already have tickets from previous roadblocks, they don’t accept it. All they want is money,” said Sibanda.
Chief Superintendent Mthokozisi Manzini Moyo, the officer commanding Nkulumane police district, addressed the protestors and said a meeting would be arranged between commuter omnibus operators and the police to map the way forward.
“The major challenge is that wherever there’s corruption, two or three people are involved. We’ve decided to organise a meeting that will be attended by representatives from the traffic police, the Bulawayo City Council and the transporters’ associations.
“This meeting, I hope, will help us map the way forward and see how we can work together without inconveniencing members of the public,” he said.
When The Chronicle arrived in Nketa at about 10AM, commuters, including school children were still waiting along the road hoping to get transport.
Some had already started walking along Masiyephambili Drive to their workplaces, while others were boarding kombis to other suburbs before connecting to the city centre.
Chief Supt Manzini Moyo had a tough time calming down the angry drivers, who told him that they would only work if the traffic police stopped robbing them of their money. By 5PM yesterday, the protest was still going on, with commuters from the affected suburbs using connecting routes or seeking alternative transport.
In 2013, similar protests resulted in touts smashing windows on a police BMW vehicle along Khami Road.
Online Reporter