News / Regional
BUPTA dismisses commuter omnibus strike claims
04 Jul 2016 at 14:13hrs | Views
THE Bulawayo United Public Transport Association (Bupta) has distanced itself from social media reports they will down tools late Monday owing to mistreatment by police on the roads with the secretary general Albert Ncube saying they never held the said meeting.
The WhatsApp message circulating since Monday at about 11 am reads:
"An emergency meeting of all three Public Transport Operators has been held this morning of Monday 04 July 2016 in Bulawayo, through their Associations namely; a)BUPTA b)Bilawayo City Transit c)Tshova Mubaiwa Transport Co-op.
"Following the meeting and deliberations thereof, the following resolutions have been arrived at that as at 1500Hrs on 04 July 2016, all public transporters park their vehicles in protest against police brutality on our roads…"
In an interview, Ncube said they are not planning to have a meeting soon but the concerns raised in the WhatsApp message are very much genuine.
"We have never held a meeting but what I can say is that we have serious grievances concerning our treatment in the hands of the police.
"When you see such messages emanating from the people it means that there is a problem which has to be addressed as a matter of emergency," said Ncube.
He said they are not aware of the source of the message but they are keen on meeting with the police to limit the number of roadblocks, which make it difficult for them to operate smoothly.
"The police should look at this message as a sign that they should listen to all the calls we have been making regarding our challenges we face on the roads," said Ncube.
The message further reads: "No service will resume until all illegal roadblocks in Bulawayo are dismantled.
"No public transport operator will work until all corrupt traffic police officers, who are known to us are apprehended and brought to justice within the constitutionally prescribed 48 hours. Normal service will only resume when the above concerns have been addressed fully."
The reports of the Bulawayo transport strike follow the one called by transporters in Harare which has resulted in violent skirmishes between police and commuter omnibus operaters.
The WhatsApp message circulating since Monday at about 11 am reads:
"An emergency meeting of all three Public Transport Operators has been held this morning of Monday 04 July 2016 in Bulawayo, through their Associations namely; a)BUPTA b)Bilawayo City Transit c)Tshova Mubaiwa Transport Co-op.
"Following the meeting and deliberations thereof, the following resolutions have been arrived at that as at 1500Hrs on 04 July 2016, all public transporters park their vehicles in protest against police brutality on our roads…"
In an interview, Ncube said they are not planning to have a meeting soon but the concerns raised in the WhatsApp message are very much genuine.
"We have never held a meeting but what I can say is that we have serious grievances concerning our treatment in the hands of the police.
He said they are not aware of the source of the message but they are keen on meeting with the police to limit the number of roadblocks, which make it difficult for them to operate smoothly.
"The police should look at this message as a sign that they should listen to all the calls we have been making regarding our challenges we face on the roads," said Ncube.
The message further reads: "No service will resume until all illegal roadblocks in Bulawayo are dismantled.
"No public transport operator will work until all corrupt traffic police officers, who are known to us are apprehended and brought to justice within the constitutionally prescribed 48 hours. Normal service will only resume when the above concerns have been addressed fully."
The reports of the Bulawayo transport strike follow the one called by transporters in Harare which has resulted in violent skirmishes between police and commuter omnibus operaters.
Source - Radio Dialogue
