The rounding up of touts by law enforcement agents this week is a welcome development and it should be the starting point in efforts to rid the capital city of unruly elements. Touts had created so much chaos at bus terminuses and market places such as Mbare Musika, where they forced people either to board buses or to buy goods they did not like.
At Mbare Musika, motorists who visit the market are harassed and it is no surprise that the once popular vegetable market has since been deserted by affluent customers.
The market used to be a tourist attraction as it also boasts craftwork, carpentry products and soapstone carvings.
It is unfortunate that business has been destroyed by touts who scare away people. Harare central business district had also become congested as kombi drivers and touts competed for passengers.
Touts had become a law unto themselves, harassing passengers and passersby, forcing kombi crews to hike fares when they felt like and extorting money from both passengers and kombi crews.
Anyone who dared stop or raise his or her voice against their illegal activities risked being bashed senseless. The touts would openly drink alcohol at the bus terminuses, use vulgar language, abuse passengers and innocent people and urinate in public. What boggles the mind is that this was done in full view of the police who turned a blind eye to the touts’ illegal behaviour.
The touts, with obvious political backing that made them enjoy immunity from the law, had become a nuisance in the city.
Some of the touts doubled up as illegal vendors, congesting the once clean pavements of the city.
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City by-laws have been flouted by these touts who, because of political support, scared the hell out of municipal police who could do nothing but helplessly watch the marauding thugs going about their unlawful activities. At bus terminuses, the touts deliberatelycreated confusion to cash in on the chaos.
It was a case of having touts literally reaping where they did not sow. This week, after the touts had been rounded up, there was peace at bus terminuses.
People were boarding kombis to their destinations without the hustle and bustle created by these rowdy elements.
We have witnessed such operations against touts by both the city council and the police that have yielded temporary results.
In the end, the touts have always emerged as victors as they returned to haunt passengers and kombi crews in no time.
This time, it is our hope that the police will get rid of these unwelcome elements for good.
Nobody needs them. Commuter omnibus operators have their own crews to do what they require in their business.
The commuting public is made up of men, women and children who do not need the “aid” of touts to reach their destinations.
We hope for the benefit of the public and those who have invested in the transport business, the police will make sure that touts disappear from bus terminuses for good. After all, touting is illegal in this country.
