Story by Stanley Moyo

Private combies are calling for government to relax a strict ban on privately owned combies to service Bulawayo routes.

Transport situation has come to a dire situation in Pumula and Nketa as conductors and drivers of Public Transportation find it difficult to under the Zimbabwe United Passanger Company.

Recently ZUPCO Combies ended a strike which was called as a result of un paid salaries which have undermined the credibility of the ZUPCO franchise.

However when asked to comment passengers said that they want the so called Mtshikatshika combies back to end their long suffering.

"We need Mtshikatshika combies because the way we live is not right I board Khami road whilest I'm going to Mpilo Hospital, these ZUPCO combies end up at Ntemba instead of leaving us inside our community where we reside. The thing of governed to stop these combies they should find a way to accommodate the private public transport." said a passenger in anonymity.

Meanwhile both Pumula and Nketa combie operators, highlighted that residents wait long hours to get transport in different areas in the City if Bulawayo.

"We dont work as windies, touters, drivers where will we find passengers? The government is becoming trouble to us we loved to work together as a nation but seems we are no longer part of the family." angry conductor.

"It's hard to service these roads thus why when peopl are looking for transport we charge them a $1.00 specially those going to work, home later other board private transport after ZUPCO has failed to secure the routes," he added.

"The problem we face as drivers of combies is that we will be working right now but ZUPCO regards us as Mtshikatshika but they found us servicing these routes, we suffered with people when is was still hard thus why people suffer when we are not there, and makes the combies to change the fees but when we work, 10rands is enough thus why we didn't raise up the funds when ZUPCO did." Combi driver.

He added on: "People kill each other, youths engage in drugs and substance abuse when they have no jobs."

Nketa transport operators BPTA and Tshova Mubaiwa said as Transport Opertors, they have no place to do business which is a violation of their inherent and inseparable rights.

"As members of transport Associations especially Mbaiwa and BPTA we have no place to do business our rights are being taken away, what we need is to service the routes but ZUPCO has taken over the routes how do we do survive? Right now we have no food no future we took driver's licences and declared ourselves as drivers of combies but now it's all useless." said Nketa combie driver."

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