Call to stop Kombi, Police wars!

The president of Indigenous Commuter Operators Association of Zimbabwe (ICOAZ) has called for a truce between emergency taxi operators and the police.

Addressing a press conference in Harare, Brighton Magoto said the current cat-and-mouse game between the police and commuter operators was not healthy for the development of the economy.

"Corruption has taken an root among law enforcement agencies and the association would like to appeal for an immediate end to such hostilities," said Magoto.

"Transport operators should stop bribing the police even if their vehicles are not in a good condition because this will result in many accidents all over the country."

Magoto said dialogue and consultation to ensure safety of the commuting public and compliance with road rules and regulations and local authorities' by-laws was of paramount importance.

The secretary for strategic planning and development Moses Mutyasira also said: "We want commuter operators and touts to respect the uniformed forces when they board their kombis and also the police to respect them in return."

The concession comes as the conflict between the police and commuter operators escalate with police officers apparently breaking windscreens of commuter omnibuses in the city. This is as a result of emergency taxi operators refusing to pay alleged bribes.