Story by Peter Chivhima
The commuting public has sent a distress call for law enforcement agents to protect them from pirate taxis which have become a menace in most urban areas including Harare’s Central Business District.
Despite widespread appeals for order to be restored on the country’s roads, chaos continues to persist with pirate taxis popularly known as Mushikashika at the centre of the disorder.
Even recent attempts to engage public transporters have yielded nothing with a cat-and-mouse game between pirate taxi operators and law enforcement agents now the order of the day.
“This is unacceptable and we are all in danger because such reckless behavior is causing the deaths of many innocent people. It’s alarming that the authorities have not taken more effective measures to prevent these incidents and protect the public. The lack of accountability and enforcement is putting lives at risk, and it’s imperative that urgent action is taken to address this issue,” said a commuter who spoke to the ZBC news .
“Our lives are being put in jeopardy by this situation, and it’s imperative that something be done about it,” said another commuter.
“We’re living with a constant sense of danger, and it’s unacceptable that more hasn’t been done to address this issue,” another added.
The running battles are also prevalent at some known hotspots in the city centre including corner Simon Muzenda and Jason Moyo.
“This is not good for the police and the mushikashika to continue chasing each other. There is a need for the police to come up with ways that do not put people’s lives in danger. I think they need to work together with officials from the Central Vehicle Registry to obtain the details of vehicles whose owners have been involved in such behaviour,” a concerned citizen said.
“I think more needs to be done to protect the citizenry from such incidents, as we have read and heard about cases where innocent lives have been lost during police chases of mushikashika. Why can’t there be a system to identify and track these operators?” another noted.
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) National Spokesperson, Commissioner Paul Nyathi said he is discussing the matter with the responsible authorities.
“We are looking into the issue and we want to urge the public to come forth with genuine complaints when they see if something needs to be ironed out,” he said.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police has on many occasions issued stern warnings to would-be offenders, and one will only hope for a lasting solution to the traffic jungle in the capital city.
