Harare touts forced a fare hike through shakedowns

A fare spike from one dollar to two bucks across Harare is getting pinned on touts who shake down drivers at every turn.

The shakedown economy at Kombi ranks

• Rank bosses are pulling in over three hundred thousand dollars weekly.
• Operators fork over two dollars daily to the council officially.
• Touts grab three bucks per trip when the fare sits at one dollar.
• Fares rising to one fifty mean shakedowns jump to six bucks.

Transport groups calling for backup

• Ngoni Katsvairo from GHACO wants mandatory membership for all drivers.
• Katsvairo says his group fines operators, but touts run the show.
• Frederick Maguramhinga leads ZUDCO and blames rank marshals for price fixing.
• Maguramhinga offered to team up with cops to nail the perpetrators.

Law enforcement is making things worse

• Ruwa fares jumped from one dollar to one fifty lately.
• Cops seizing vehicles creates shortages that spike prices even higher.
• Certain officers allegedly have kombis that keep rolling during crackdowns.
• Drivers pay bribes to officers just to avoid constant harassment.

What authorities are saying about it

• Commissioner Paul Nyathi told associations to snitch on dirty cops.
• Nyathi acknowledged that certain officers drop the ball on standards.
• Stanley Gama from the city rejected claims that marshals control terminuses.
• Gama wants operators to stop paying barons and file police reports.