Council moves to restore order in CBD transport system

Masvingo City Council has pledged to restore order in the central business district (CBD) by addressing public transport challenges, creating designated loading bays for commuter omnibuses and reorganising operations at key transport hubs.

The commitment was made during a full council meeting on Monday after Ward 9 Councillor Bernard Muchokwa called on the local authority to urgently provide a safe and properly managed rank for commuter omnibuses operating along the Rank–West–Sisk–Aphiri route.

Cllr Muchokwa said commuter omnibuses had been left without a designated operating space after the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) reclaimed an open area they had been using as a rank for development.

"We had kombis loading passengers along the West–Sisk–Aphiri route using NSSA open space as their rank. NSSA has since taken back the land and started development, leaving the kombis parking along the road near Express Garage," he said.

"As council, we have an obligation to provide safe transport facilities for our residents so that they are not constantly being chased away by municipal police and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP). We request council to allocate land where they can operate legally under council management."

Responding to the concerns, Mayor Alec Tabe acknowledged that the existing CBD had limited space to accommodate growing transport demand, saying the long-term solution was to shift commercial activities to the city's planned new CBD.

"There is no space in the current town. As council, we have to move to the new CBD. However, temporary measures will be put in place soon to provide a new rank for the affected commuter omnibuses," said Tabe.

Town Clerk Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa said the council's technical team had already begun assessing the situation and that changes to transport management within the CBD would be implemented by mid-August.

"Our technical team is on the ground and by mid-August changes relating to transport management in the CBD will have been implemented," he said.

The mayor also announced plans to reorganise operations at the Croco Motors bus terminus after the Sanganai/Hlanganani Zimbabwe World Tourism Expo, once council clears the nearby Gymkhana site currently being prepared for the event.

He said council intends to create additional loading space for long-distance buses and install a boom gate to regulate vehicle access, improve order and strengthen revenue collection.

"Soon after the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo, council will clear space at the Croco Motors bus terminus where long-distance buses are currently loading from. We also intend to install a boom gate to regulate entry and exit, restore order and improve revenue collection. There is no sanity at Croco Motors and we have to restore order by creating a properly managed loading area," Tabe said.

The planned interventions form part of the local authority's broader strategy to improve traffic flow, enhance commuter safety and bring greater organisation to public transport operations in Masvingo's CBD.