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Ivan Zhakata Herald Correspondent
More illegal taxis commonly known as mushikashika, including some unregistered vehicles, are now operating in central Harare, with passengers being picked up and dropped off at undesignated points, causing traffic congestion on main roads during peak hours.
A lot of undesignated pick up points have since emerged and they have become health time bombs as the points do not have ablution facilities and bins to dump garbage.
Along Leopold Takawira Street, in front of Queen Elizabeth School, there are mushikashika operators ferrying passengers to Westgate, Marlborough, Greencroft and Avondale.
That stretch of street with double lanes has been reduced to a single lane as the illegal operators have their vehicles in a long queue that takes the other lane, causing congestion and accidents.
The pavement and surrounds of the area are filled with garbage, with a stench smell coming from the garbage filling the whole area.
Copacabana bus terminus has seen the rank filling with kombis, forcing buses to load along Chinhoyi Street, blocking traffic.
Other kombis were collecting passengers at the intersection of Jason Moyo Avenue and Chinhoyi Street blocking traffic using both roads.
However, a lot of progress has been made to allow a growing number of legal kombis to operate regulated services.
Kombi operators have since formed associations with the Zimbabwe Union of Drivers and Conductors (ZUDAC) and the Greater Harare Association of Commuter Omnibus Operators (GHACO) bringing considerable order and better working conditions for crews.
At Market Square bus terminus, some buses were parked outside the rank, which is very small and inadequate to support the services that use this as a terminus. Outside the rank and parallel to the Gulf Complex were illegal taxi operators ferrying people.
The rank opposite Harare Central Police Station is again too small for its purpose, meaning buses were loading outside the rank along Robson Manyika Avenue, blocking the road.
Other undesignated pick-up points in the city centre included along Samora Machel Avenue opposite Holiday Inn Hotel, the intersection of Joseph Msika Street and Robert Mugabe Road, corner Sam Nujoma Street and Leonard Brezhnev Avenue and at the intersection of Julius Nyerere Way and Robert Mugabe Road.
Commuters have expressed concern over the mushikashika takeover, saying it was causing chaos in the CBD.
Mrs Etinah Kuruneri said she was saddened by how the mushikashika operators were being left to operate freely, causing chaos in the city.
Apart from the vehicles creating chaos, touts who work with the vehicle owners are rowdy and often perpetrate violence on potential passengers and among themselves.
“The mushikashika operators are causing a lot of trouble in the city centre,” said Mrs Kuruneri. “Recently, a woman was nearly run-over by a vehicle that was escaping from the police. We want the police to act.”
Ms Pauline Sunganoyemoyo said the greenlight given to legal kombi operators was contributing to the disorder at ranks.
“Things were getting back to normal when all public transport operators were ordered to operate under the Zupco franchise,” she said. “Mushikashika was low, but when the transport system was liberalised, mushikashika, including illegal kombis, resurfaced and now they are a menace in the city centre.”
ZUDAC president Frederick Maguramhinga said they condemned acts by kombi operators who were ferrying people at undesignated points.
“We do not allow kombis to carry passengers at undesignated points and we do not condone such operations, but we have seen operators coming back disguised as registered under our association,” he said.
“They then start to carry people at undesignated sites and cause chaos at ranks. We are working with the police to make sure that order and sanity is restored at ranks. If our members are found on the wrong side, action will be taken against them.”
Mr Ngoni Katsvairo, GHACO secretary-general said: “We want to thank President Mnangagwa for affording us a second chance, but we have some amongst us who are still living in the old dispensation and want to continue with lawlessness.
“We urge the enforcement agents to deal with that because as an association we only have powers to deal with our own members in terms of our constitution and internal code of conduct which prohibits our kombis from operating at mushikashika.”
Online Reporter