Mshikashika ‘official’ mode of transport in Victoria Falls

PIRATE taxis, popularly known as mshikashika have become the official mode of transport in Victoria Falls.

For many years Victoria Falls has been without conventional commuter omnibuses as commuters relied on smaller Toyota Gaia vehicles which were later joined by Toyota Wish.

These small cars are legally registered as metered taxis but illegally operate as commuter omnibuses which ended up pushing the kombis out of business.

They were later joined by FunCargo, Demio and lately Honda Fit and Nissan March.

Alleged residents’ impatience and negative attitude towards kombis is also said to be part of the reasons why the commuter omnibuses that used to operate in the city left.

Generally, Victoria Falls residents, most of whom are employed in the tourism industry, were so impatient to wait for a kombi to get full, preferring to ride on the smaller vehicles that they would pay between US$3 and US$5 per trip.

One could afford to hire a taxi home when coming from work or from shopping in town instead of waiting for a kombi that would take time to get full.
Slowly kombis disappeared from the streets as people preferred metered taxis which ended up doing pick and drops.

This is despite the fact that metered taxis are prohibited from operating as kombis as their licences and permits only allow them to be stationed at designated points and carry passengers on hire.

Even during the Covid-19 era when Government introduced Zupco commuters after banning public transporters in an effort to contain the spread of the pandemic, Victoria Falls residents were so impatient and would not board the kombis which also left because of lack of business.

Slowly metered taxis have lost business to pirate taxis which started during the Covid-19 lockdown.

There are now more mshikashika cars than metered taxis and some residents have however, complained about chaos and noise caused by the taxis whose drivers hoot while hunting for customers as well as establishing illegal detours through the bush to town in an effort to evade police roadblocks.

A news crew conducted a snap survey on the streets of Victoria Falls and observed that there are more vehicles pirating compared to metered taxis.

The mshikashika operators have no route permits, operating licences or fitness tests certificates while some of the vehicles have expired registration discs.

Government and the local authority are also losing huge sums of money in unpaid taxis and operating fees.

While in other cities commuters dread boarding mshikashikas because of criminal activities associated with them, residents of Victoria Falls prefer them.

“We are used to boarding these vehicles because no one has ever been mugged or attacked,” said Philani Baloyi, a Mkhosana resident.

The many taxis in the city has led to the formation of many associations which are affiliated to the Combined Taxis Association.

Victoria Falls used to have many metered taxis that operated as commuter transporters and established pick-up points at Border Taxis, Airport, Rainforest, Banks, Park Way, OK, TM Pick n Pay and Ok Mart while mshikashika have no designated pick-up points.

The medicine could be too bitter for metered taxis operators who are feeling the same heat which kombi operators felt when the same metered taxis were pushing them out of business.

Now it is mshikashikas pushing out the metered taxis as history repeats itself. A mshikashika driver Kuda Moyo said in a day he makes between US$20 and US$30.

“We park here sometimes for more than an hour watching people getting into mshikashika. They say mshikashika is cheaper yet the fares are the same at US$1 per person. The problem started during Covid-19 lockdown because they were allowed to operate and now it is difficult to remove them. Police are also not doing anything,” said a taxi driver.

Chairperson of OK Taxis Association Powerman Taruvinga said anyone who buys a car can operate mshikashika business undeterred.

“They have taken all the business. They started during Covid-19 and it is difficult to remove them. We have had many meetings with the police and council but to no avail and near OK they have opened an illegal rank,” said Mr Taruvinga.

He said drivers of mshikashika even brag that they don’t pay for permits or taxes and pass through roadblocks without challenges.

“We blame authorities for this menace. This is a small town where controlling vehicles shouldn’t be a problem. As we speak registered vehicle operators can’t even afford to renew licences and permits because business has gone to the informal sector,” said Mr Taruvinga.

“To get an operating licence one has to pay and get Nssa clearance for passenger insurance and then get a Zimra clearance as well as route authority from council. This is when one goes to the VID for route authority and to get it one has to get clearance from council.”

The Nssa clearance is about US$410 per month while the Zimra clearance is US$20 per quarter. The permit from the local authority is US$4 132 per year and this is the one used to get authority from VID which is US$60, Chronicle learnt.

Combined Taxis Association chair Oliver Mwembe said metered taxi operators had given up because engagements with authorities was yielded nothing.

“Our problem is that this happens right under the watch of authorities. Some of the registered taxi operators are no longer renewing their permits and licences because there is no business,” he said.