HARARE - Harare residents have warned that they could unfurl street protests against the police if a lasting solution to road carnage caus...
The street protest threat was made at a stakeholders dialogue held at the Anglican Cathedral yesterday to find solutions to the growing problem of fatal kombi accidents.
Representatives of the police did not pitch up for the meeting, even though organisers said they were invited.
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| Anger over police, kombi wars |
Police chief Augustine Chihuri has said members of the police force “should neither own, nor run commuter omnibus businesses to avoid a conflict of interest.”
Simba Moyo, chairman of the Combined Harare Residents Association (Chra), said the police’s conspicuous absence at the meeting indicated that they did not take the issue seriously.
Moyo said as residents, they were not happy with the lack of commitment by the police to address such a pertinent issue.
“The police are a major stakeholder in this issue yet they decide to abscond and not even send a representative,” Moyo said.
“We are not declaring war with them but we are just warning them that there are many ways to get their attention and one such way is taking the matter to the streets and demonstrating.”
Dozens of people have lost their lives in fatal cat-and-mouse games with kombi drivers, which authorities say is meant to de-congest the city and eliminate illegal pick-up points. Traffic police officers wielding baton sticks have clashed with defiant drivers who attempt to flee from the police, often resulting in fatal accidents.
Police have distanced themselves from the accidents, laying all the blame on kombi drivers keen to evade arrest.
Moyo said the road carnage was a matter of national interest and expected the police to give full cooperation to the dialogue.
Cosmas Mbonjani, chairperson of the Greater Harare Association of Commuter Omnibus Operators (Ghaco), said there were a lot of illegal activities where police officers were benefitting.
“Council and ZRP seem to be benefiting from the chaos in the city,” Mbonjani said. “Until these two institutions find other means of getting an income, they will continue to solicit bribes on the roads.”
Crispen Hama, deputy commissioner of road motor transport at the ministry of Transport, said the ministry was concerned with the spike in road accidents, particularly in Harare.
He said they conducted a survey and found that over 80 percent of kombis do not have route authority. Others have not undergone a retest.
“Traffic laws are being completely violated by operators,” Hama said. “You find that the vehicle has no route authority and permit and the driver is ill equipped to be driving a public service vehicle. These are the same people who end up causing accidents on the road.”
Judith Mujegu of the Harare City Council’s traffic and transportation planning section, said it was legally the mandate of the council to run all kombi ranks in Harare.
She said if they decide to engage other stakeholders, it would be through a mutual understanding between the interested parties.
Mujegu said the city was looking to revisit some of their traffic by-laws.
“Currently our by-law only finds the machinery guilty of an offence which is why you see the vehicle being impounded to the HCC Central Stores,” she said.
“However now we want the driver and kombi owner to be held accountable for their actions if we are to address the issue.”
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