The crisis in Zimbabwe’s informal public transport system did not begin with the reopening of schools, it merely resurfaced with greater intensity. The festive season laid bare a chaotic and lawless transport environment characterised by reckless driving, fare extortion, and visibly weakened enforcement. Instead of being decisively confronted, that disorder was allowed to continue unchecked, spilling directly into the back-to-school period where increased demand has only magnified the danger and suffering faced by commuters.
What the public is now enduring is not inconvenience but a continuation of festive season anarchy, now compounded by parents and learners scrambling to return to school. Kombi operators have taken advantage of this pressure, operating without restraint while enforcement appears either overwhelmed or absent. The result is a transport system that has become openly hostile to the very people it is meant to serve.
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Book NowThis past week alone, two people were hit by vehicles linked to reckless public transport operations in Harare. One was a pedestrian walking lawfully, the other was struck by a vehicle fleeing from City Council traffic officers. These incidents follow closely on the heels of another case in which a kombi running away from police hit a woman who was walking on the pavement. Such occurrences are no longer shocking anomalies, they are fast becoming a pattern that exposes a total breakdown of control on the roads.
These are not unavoidable accidents. They are the predictable outcome of a system that has been allowed to operate without discipline, accountability, or fear of consequences. Lives are being endangered while authorities issue warnings, conduct sporadic crackdowns, and then retreat, leaving commuters exposed once again.
The public is struggling to understand how this level of lawlessness is tolerated, particularly in the capital city. Kombi operators routinely ignore council designated ranks, instead creating illegal pick up points that choke roads, disrupt traffic flow, and turn pavements into danger zones. Law abiding operators are sidelined, while rogue elements flourish under a system that punishes compliance and rewards chaos.
It is unacceptable that such disorder is allowed to persist in Harare, the country’s administrative and economic hub. This is the city presented to investors and tourists, yet it now resembles a place where basic order cannot be enforced. One is forced to ask how Zimbabwe expects to market itself as a safe destination while failing to protect its own citizens from transport related lawlessness.
The burden has fallen heavily on parents and learners. In areas such as Chitungwiza, kombi operators now charge fares based on demand, weather, or sheer opportunism. When ZUPCO buses were operating, fares were around one United States dollar. Following their withdrawal, kombi fares have surged to between one dollar fifty and two dollars per trip, an exorbitant cost for families already under severe financial strain. For many households, access to education is now being threatened by transport exploitation.
The same pattern of abuse is evident in long distance travel. During the festive season, bus operators doubled fares without justification or oversight, effectively extorting passengers who had no alternatives. That fare madness has continued beyond the holidays, proving that the problem is not seasonal but systemic.
If existing legislation or by laws are outdated, then the failure to reform them is an indictment of those responsible. If enforcement agencies lack capacity, then the refusal or inability to escalate the issue is inexcusable. There can be no justification for allowing a public transport system to operate like a lawless cartel while citizens are injured, exploited, and terrorised.It is therefore not surprising that frustrated commuters are now calling for the intervention of President Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa. This appeal is not political theatre, it is a desperate cry from a populace that feels abandoned by institutions meant to safeguard their lives and dignity.
Public transport is a public service, not a battlefield. Until decisive action is taken through firm enforcement, fare regulation, and meaningful reform, the untamed kombi culture will continue to endanger lives, drain household incomes, and damage the nation’s image. The question confronting authorities is no longer whether the crisis is known, but how many more people must be injured before order is finally restored.
