According to a statement from the Combined Harare Residents’ Association, at least 10 people have died in accidents caused by commuter omnibus drivers trying to flee baton-wielding cops smashing windscreens or municipal police officers throwing spikes on kombi tyres.
Police spokesperson, Superintendent Paul Nyathi, dismissed the statement as baseless and said the number of deaths from accidents caused by kombis fleeing from police details was “nothing to write home about.”
“These accidents do not happen on a daily basis and we have received only a few isolated incidences,” said Nyathi. Last week, a Harare woman died at the Copacabana bus terminus after being dragged by a kombi that was fleeing from the police.
Since last year, police officers have been smashing windscreens of vehicles picking up passengers at undesignated points. Victoria Chitinha (42) from Highfield, last month escaped death by a whisker when she was hit at Charge Office terminus by a kombi fleeing spikes thrown by municipal police officers.
She called on the law enforcement agents to be more professional in their conduct and arrest errant drivers instead of accepting their bribes. “The drivers know that they can pay a bribe and this is why a lot of vehicles that are not roadworthy are ferrying passengers,” she said.
Ephias Singe of Dzivarasekwa said “There are too many vehicles in Harare because of these Japanese imports. Council should be finding ways of decongesting the city first before chasing after people’s cars.”
Josline Manyeruke from Mabvuku said Harare City Council should allocate more manpower towards marking the city roads and erecting traffic signs. She urged the council officials to put up visible signs that designate pick up points as kombi drivers take advantage of their absence to stop wherever they like.
Alexander Gundawakuru (54) from Mabvuku said municipal police should stop using spikes and find other ways of dealing with those flaunting their regulations. “Spikes should only be used in extreme circumstances, such as fleeing criminals,” he said, and urged cops to value people’s lives and not concentrate on revenue collection.
Willard Kamungeremu, whose kombi plies the Chitungwiza- City route, said the challenge was that police details were now chasing after kombis parked in designated ranks.
“Unogarwa,” he said, meaning they (police officers) will sit in your kombi and take you either to the station or for a ride where they demand bribes. “This is why we take chances and flee because if you do not do that, you will not have anything to take to the owner of the kombi at night,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from Harare City Council were futile.
Post published in: News