Online Reporter
Zimpapers Writer
PASSENGERS and bus operators have raised alarm over alleged harassment, intimidation and coercion by kombi and bus touts at Bulawayo’s Fourth Avenue Bus Terminus, with Government now moving to address the problem.
For Mrs Nothando Dube, a 42-year-old teacher who regularly travels between Bulawayo and Harare, the journey begins with anxiety before she even boards a bus.
“The moment you step in, touts grab your bag, shout in your ear, and force you onto a bus you didn’t choose. We travel in fear,” she said.
Her experience mirrors complaints from other passengers and operators who describe the situation at the city’s main long-distance terminus as increasingly chaotic.
Government has taken the complaints seriously, with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development saying passenger safety and security concerns required a coordinated response.
“The Ministry notes with serious concern the passenger safety and security issues raised in your correspondence,” the ministry said.
On June 25, the ministry wrote to Commissioner-General of Police Mr Stephen Mutamba following a complaint from one of the local intercity bus companies, calling for the “immediate removal” of rank touts from Fourth Avenue. The correspondence was copied to senior provincial and city officials.
The ministry subsequently said the matter would be brought to the attention of the Ministers of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage and Local Government and Public Works.
“It is the Ministry’s considered view that an integrated Whole-of-Government approach is required to decisively address the challenges posed by rank touts,” it said.
“We can no longer fold our arms while our passengers are abused daily,” the company said in a letter to the Bulawayo Minister of State for Devolution and Provincial Affairs Cde Judith Ncube.
“Touts assault passengers, extort money, and block entry points. They have turned the rank into their personal territory,” the company alleged.
Bus company operators are calling for a ban on touting, police deployment and the introduction of licensed marshals.
The conduct alleged by passengers and operators could also have consumer-protection implications. Section 35(2) of the Consumer Protection Act (Chapter 14:44) prohibits the use of physical force, threats or other unfair practices against consumers.
Zimpapers has in possession an apology letter from Inter Africa bus management after their touts damaged a Stallion Cruise bus in Bulawayo, furthering the tension and bad blood between the two rival companies.
Mr Bhekinkosi Ndlovu, a vendor at the rank, said the disorder was also damaging Bulawayo’s image.
“Tourists arrive, and the first thing they witness is shouting and pushing. They get a bad impression of our city,” he said.
The touting controversy is not confined to Bulawayo. Touts have been blamed for repeated confrontations at transport ranks across the country, with stakeholders calling for a permanent solution.
Earlier this year, a tout died in Chiredzi during skirmishes involving rival touts from Inter Africa and Stallion Cruise buses, and the two bus companies had to be allocated different loading ranks as a way of stopping the skirmishes.
In Harare, passengers have also complained of harassment around Fourth Street Roadport, where a tout identified as Tafadzwa was reportedly arrested before being released.
Back in Bulawayo, the authorities now face mounting pressure to restore order at Fourth Avenue.
“We just want to board a bus in peace and dignity. Is that too much to ask?” Mrs Dube asked.
The Bulawayo City Council confirmed that they received a complaint from Stallion Cruise Bus Company and they are working on engaging the bus companies that use the rank to find a lasting solution.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Passengers Transport Organisation Chairperson Dr Samson Nhanhanga said passengers were being “abused, intimidated and robbed” in broad daylight. Commuters have no dignity at the rank. They are grabbed, shouted at, and forced onto buses. This must end now,” Dr Nhanhanga said.
