The cat and mouse feud that has been on for a long time between police and commuter omnibus operators in the streets of Harare has left the Zimbabwean public weary.
Over Hundreds of people have lost their relatives to accidents caused by the clashes that have been Left to carry the burden of paying for burial expenses and hospital bills all by themselves.
Most people who encountered such incidents have blamed and accused compromised law enforcers that prioritise their work rather than human life.
“We are losing precious lives almost every day due to negligence in driving and clashes between the police and commuter omnibus drivers.
“The public must be protected and something must be done immediately to stop the loss of human life,”said Tawanda Choto a commuter from Mabvuku.
Last year a man was unfortunately crashed on the head by an omnibus which was running away from a police arrest at Copa -Cabana and he died on the spot due to continuous bleeding.
The commuter omnibus took the hit and run option and quickly fled the scene.
The police blitz which targets to arrest touts and rank marshals, although beneficial to keep sanity in the city it has left the public in a screwing dilemma.
With many commuters and pedestrian left wondering when such chaos will stop and if they have the public is ever protected by laws in Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, the police operation is still going on with the law enforcers cracking windows using button sticks as a way to identify the culprits when they refuse to stop.
Most commuter have came across and experienced a troubling and scary scenarios where a button stick slams just close to them exposing them to eye injuries.
“I was sitting at the front in a commuter omnibus when the window screen was broken by a police officer using a black and long button stick.
“When it happened I was shocked and afraid because the small fragment of the glass came direct on my eyes,” said a woman who came close to the incident.
Commuter omnibuses operating in Harare’s city centre have increased rampantly due to economic challenges and unemployment rate in Zimbabwe.
A commuter omnibus driver plying city –Mabvuku said bribes and corruption are the major cause of rise in accidents and chaos in Zimbabwe.
‘The issue of bribes and corruption has contributed a lot in the increase of accidents that are caused by the clashes between us and the police.
“Action must be taken immediately and bring this to an end because human life is more import than money, ”he said.
A total of 323 road accidents have so far been recorded since the beginning of the holidays compared to 152 reported during the same time last year.
While police recorded a total of 35 deaths 141 injures in road accidents during the Easter holidays this year.
According to the United Nations World health statistics report, road crashes are among the top 10 causes of death worldwide.
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