Bulawayo traffic lawlessness continues unabated

DRIVING on Bulawayo's roads in the Central Business District is now a nightmare as rowdy push-cart operators, pirate taxi drivers, kombi and bus crews flout traffic rules and regulations as the city fathers and the police seem to have given up.

Roads such as 6th Avenue Extension and Herbert Chitepo Streets from 5th Avenue to 11th Avenue have become un-traffickable and no-go areas for ordinary motorists as kombi crews have turned them into mini ranks while pushcart operators have become a law unto themselves as they disregard traffic rules. The pushcart operators or scania operators have turned the area around the 5th Avenue Marketplace into a no-go zone. In some instances, they block pavements, making it difficult for pedestrians to move around.

Accidents involving pushcarts and motorists have lately become a common sight in the city centre.

Those who decide to use the 6th Avenue exit route have a torrid time negotiating their way especially during peak hours and they risk being involved in accidents.

The road has become even more dangerous as the kombi crews sometimes drive in the wrong lane during police raids risking colliding with other vehicles.

The 6th Avenue is the exit road for motorists using the City-Luveve Road but some have abandoned it opting for longer routes such as using the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road and turning just before Mpilo Central Hospital to reconnect into Luveve Road in Mzilikazi near Emachipsini. Pirate taxis, mostly Honda Fit vehicles have taken over most of the prime spaces in the city centre such as near the City Hall along Leopold Takawira Avenue and 8th Avenue.

Chronicle news crew yesterday drove around the city centre and observed that some cross-border buses were using undesignated areas as pick-up and drop-off points. Harare and Zambia-bound buses have joined the fray as they are also picking and dropping passengers at undesignated points in violation of the city by-laws.

The news crew overheard one pushcart operator shouting at some pedestrians "Masalu suka endleleni sifuna ukusebenza. Bamba umntwana topi sizadlula laye."

In interviews, motorists and pedestrians expressed concern over the traffic lawlessness, which has become the order of the day in the city centre.

"As residents, we are really worried about this traffic lawlessness on some of the streets in Bulawayo. You have pushcart operators competing for space with other road users and in the process violating traffic rules and regulation," said Ms Nomalanga Ndlovu.

She said the situation was being worsened by buses and kombis which were also blocking roads and causing unnecessary congestion.

The news crew observed that despite Bulawayo's traffic management company, Tendy Three Investments (TTI) clamping errant motorists and pushcart operators, the menace continues.

Some intercity buses load passengers in the evening capitalising on the absence of TTI marshals who would have knocked off. The news crew also caught up with Mr Sifiso Ncube as he was trying to navigate through the congested road in the city centre.

"This is so frustrating and driving along some of the roads has become a nightmare because of these pushcarts," he said.

Another motorist, Mr Jean Siziba said: "Council should take action before this chaos gets out of hand. The last time we were told BCC is crafting new by-laws prohibiting pushcarts from the city centre but nothing has changed."

Bulawayo Mayor Councillor David Coltart said legally it was not their responsibility to deal with the traffic menace in the city centre.

He said they are however, engaging police to address the traffic lawlessness in the city.

Acting Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele said they usually conduct routine operations which have seen perpetrators being arrested and fined.

"After paying the fine, they go back to the same spot. We are now profiling these offenders so that when one is arrested for the second time for a similar offence, they are taken to court," she said.

Asst Insp Msebele said police will continue to arrest traffic offenders until there is sanity in the city.

"Bulawayo City Council is also assisting by clamping illegally parked vehicles as well as buses which pick up passengers at undesignated points," she said.

Asst Insp Msebele urged members of the public to report violators of traffic by-laws.

"Unfortunately as police, we cannot be on every corner everyday hence we depend on members of the public to help us by reporting violators of traffic laws. Bus and kombi operators should use their designated areas," she said.

Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube said kombi and bus crews should operate within the confines of the law.

In 2022, Minister Ncube came face-to-face with the chaotic scenes caused by rowdy kombi crews operating along 6th Avenue.

Incensed by the disorder in the downtown crowded streets, she disembarked from her vehicle and ordered the kombi crews to clear the road.