adminThe operators told Chronicle that the operation had also boosted their business.
“At least now there is sanity at the loading bays. Before the operation we were losing a lot of business because they were taking our customers,” said an operator, Mr Obey Maboda.
He pledged their support to the police in eradicating the pirates.
“We will notify the police when they begin breaking the city council by-laws and traffic regulations, because these people are cheating the Government because they don’t pay any taxes,” said Mr Maboda.
He said it was difficult for operators to pay taxes, as they were not realising profits from their businesses because of the pirates.
“The passengers should also desist from supporting pirates because they will be risking their lives because they won’t be insured in the event of an accident,” said Mr Maboda.
He said pirates should regularise their operations.
“We are not afraid of competition. If they abide by the regulations there won’t be any problem in terms of competition, anyway fair competition is healthy,” said Mr Maboda.
Another operator Mr Cephas Chauke said there was a need for regular operations against pirates.
“We will not rest until they are wiped out. In any case they are the ones causing part of the congestion in the city centre,” said Mr Chauke.
He said they would cultivate a good working relationship with the police to make it easy to stamp out the pirates.
Police last week arrested 205 drivers and impounded 27 commuter omnibuses in the ongoing operation code-named “100 Percent De-congest the City”.
The operation is aimed at eliminating illegal pick-up points in the city centre and reducing accidents by barring kombis from passing through the city centre.
A majority of the impounded vehicles were unroadworthy as they did not have certificates of fitness from the Vehicle Inspection Depot.
Police said the rest had glaring defects that put the lives of passengers at risk.
There was mayhem on Bulawayo’s roads before the operation was launched on 7 July.
A semblance of order was maintained until police dismantled roadblocks that barred kombis from entering the city centre on 27 July. The chaos returned at once, until the operation resumed on Wednesday.
Online Reporter