Joseph Chirume
Visiting friends and family is always a joy – travelling to Zimbabwe by public transport is not!
While Zimbabwe is known for its tough laws and no-nonsense police force, the Harare government seems to be losing the battle against unruly ticket touts and criminals who harrass travellers at bus terminals around the country.
A video that has gone viral on various social media shows a woman at a terminal being accosted by ticket touts who push her around and grab her luggage.
Her luggage is forcefully snatched away from her and put in one of the buses against her will.
The bus is headed for Chipinge, the country’s eastern town bordering Mozambique.
Despite the woman’s desperate wailing and crying, the touts continue to push her while onlookers laugh.
Harassing passengers is common in the country as bus operators fight for passengers.
James Mafirakureva, a Zimbabwean based in Humansdorp, Eastern Cape, who is planning on going home for Easter, told Scrolla.Africa the video gave him goosebumps.
“My car is broken so I will use buses,” he said.
“That video brings tears to my eyes. Especially during long weekends and holidays they force passengers to their buses and take their luggage and bill them.”
He said many people have lost their goods, money and important documents.”
“Women and children are targeted the most,” he said.
“Police should bring sanity to our buses.”
The Zimbabwe National Organization of Associations and Residents Trusts condemned the act.
“We demand that police arrest these culprits,” they said in a statement.
“We have noticed these abuses happening at every bus station in cities countrywide. These abuses also include verbal abuse especially to defenceless women.”
They said touts should be arrested in order to reduce touting within the vicinity of bus terminals.
