Source: Call for ban on touts after rape of Grade 7 learner at rank – herald
Mathew Masinge
ZIMBABWEANS have called for the outright ban on touts operating at ranks and streets of Harare after a Grade 7 school girl was raped in a parked kombi at Rezende Parkade last Friday.
Initially, the learner was humiliated by touts who were dragging her to various kombis at the rank before one of them pretended to be a Good Samaritan and led her to a parked kombi nearby.
He locked the kombi and raped her once without protection.
Police have appealed for information leading to the identification of the tout who approached the victim purporting that he wanted to help her.
The story ignited a huge debate on our online platforms with most readers calling for action aimed at addressing the sexual offence, unruly behaviour, harassment of commuters and disorder at the ranks.
Touts (mahwindi) are often associated with aggressive and disruptive behaviour across the country, including vulgar language and theft of commuters’ belongings.
The call has been made for increased police presence and stricter enforcement of traffic laws as a measure to drive out touts during peak hours.
However, authorities have been urged to deal with underlying issues of demand for public transport and viable alternatives.
Below are some of the comments made by our readers from across platforms:
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We don’t need Mahwindi!!!!. Instead of banning mabhero and chibage chakagochwa manheru, GET RID OF THESE PEOPLE. They are noisy, disrespectful, rude, thieves and just make things look overcrowded and terrifying across the country. – Shingirayi Gwete.
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I have always had problems nemunhu anonzi hwindi. I know people come from different situations and everyone has to try and put food on the table but hakuna basa rakadaro. Ndiani anobva kumba kwake asingazivi kwaari kuenda and ndiani asingagoni kuverenga zvakanyorwa paKombi yekwaari kuda kuenda. These people are criminals seeking ways to perform all sorts of activities undetected at these ranks. We must act now as a country, this culture of touts needs to end ASAP. Ban The Touts. – Stanley Kuziwa Chikotosa
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These touts are of no significant importance, they are always under the influence of alcohol or some other substances including mbanje or drugs . Our mothers, sisters and daughters are not safe at all when going to any Kombi rank especially in Mbare. A 12-year-old’s life has been shattered and this has life-long impacts on her, and it makes one wonder just how many times will this happen without us taking action to ban these touts. – Jasper Alexander Lyon
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Vakarohwa vese pana Rezende Parkade apo vanotaura, dedzai CID Southerton or Mutorashanga paitwe basa. We also need to have a protest yekuti hapana Kombi icha ranker ipapo till justice is served.
Apart from this despicable behaviour there are a lot of things zviri kuitwa neve makombi which is miserable. – Tendai Marongwe
The people who are hiding the real identity of the offender are contributing t the victim’s predicament. Other touts varipo pa same rank iri varikuziva zvakaitika and kuti ndiani akatora mwana akamuvharira muKombi. Mahwindi anonyanyosekererwa and they boast kuti mapurisa haana zvavanovaita because some of these Kombis are owned by police officers while some benefit from cash collected from these ranks. Asi chiii ichi nhaimiiiii mu Harare, life yemwana yatoparara. Let’s act now, touts should be banned– Rairo Gunguwo
There is no other reason for us not to ban touts than to act after a young girl was sexally violated in a parked Kombi in broad day light. I don’t want my kids going to schools where they use public transport. Umwe musi ndakaona tumwe tuchitukwa nadriver for paying mari yakashota and he actually wanted to drop them off where it was going to be hard for them to get another kombi home. That really broke my heart because the next thing vana vaizobiwa or get raped. These people are a bad influence, they must be regulated or for a driver to operate alone. I also think by all means mwana anofana kungotsvagirwa nzvimbo yechokoro mudhuze nepamba it avoids nyaya dzese dze abuse kungoti situations hawo ndoanozotituma kuendesa kure – Marilyn Mhende
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It’s sad that our people have become such monsters in broad daylight, zvinoitika izvi even munhu mukuru ukapinda nepakati pemakombi worse paCharge office paya kuside kwe mabhazi uku, mahwindi vanenge vakazara and ready to attack. Vanodeedzera zvinyadzi vachikuudza kuti pinda mubhazi raunenge usingande – Kudzie Kudzie
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Touts need to be removed from commuter ranks. They harass travellers in the middle of the road. It seems the police officers fear them – Andrew Gocha
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Surely there has to be a time to draw a line against touts in the CBDs. School children are no longer safe and authorities and leaders in society can no longer afford to look the other way nor remain silent as the rot reaches these levels. Surprisingly the rank is still littered with touts to date.
They all saw the girl being harrassed and made a spectacle of it, most of them are even parents themselves, they even saw the girl being waylaid away and locked in the said kombi and did nothing. They are all accomplices. Lock them up – TaaMafu
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