The Chronicle
THE sight of Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube confronting the usually violent and unpredictable kombi crews operating illegally at 6th Avenue on Monday is a clearest indication that things are not right in the city.
Kombi crews and some transport operators have turned the city, once revered for its orderliness and cleanliness, into a chaotic scene as they park anywhere, they want to pick and drop passengers as if there are no authorities charged with enforcing the law and order.
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 6th Avenue is the perfect exit road for motorists using the City-Luveve Road, some have abandoned the route opting for longer routes such as driving using the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road and turning just before Mpilo Central Hospital to reconnect into Luveve Road in Mzilikazi near Emachipsini.
Mpilo Central HospitalThose who decide to use the 6th Avenue exit route experience a torrid time and risk being involved in accidents.
Experts say traffic jams threaten economic viability and aggravates pollution and energy consumption.
On Monday, as she took part in the city’s cleaning exercise, Minister Ncube interacted with the kombi crews and told them the importance of operating at designated pick-up and drop off points.
If the Minister, a representative of Government and indeed the highest office in the land at provincial level, takes it upon herself to intervene in the chaos caused by the kombi crews, an unavoidable question arises.
Where are the responsible authorities charged with the duties of making sure that the kombi crews do not turn the city into a theatre of chaos?
The intervention of the Minister must therefore jolt them into action as the city cannot be surrendered to the chaotic kombi crews to do as they please.
Surely, such acts of lawlessness cannot be allowed in the city.
We reported recently how some intercity buses were picking and dropping passengers at undesignated places and in some instances just a few metres from police roadblocks.
Reacting to this, police national spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said offending officers would be charged with dereliction of duty.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul NyathiWe therefore call upon the respective agencies charged with maintaining order in the city to act on the chaotic kombis and restore order to our beautiful city.
Article Source: The Chronicle