Opportunistic policing
The Zimbabwe urban transport system has had touts for the past donkey years and all these years the authorities have known of their existence as well as the fact that they are illegal elements of society but they did not take any action against them. The authorities wake up one September morning and the touts are beaten like hell and rounded up in army vans and it’s headlines everywhere. It’s like these touts are aliens that have just landed in Zimbabwe from some far away planet and we are all amazed about them. The Harare City Council says it now wants to control kombis and one wonders why they have, for all these years, let touts control the kombi ranks.
Thursday, September 13th 2012 at 6:48 pm
Its only fair that control of the streets and bus ranks go to whom ever the ranks and streets belong. My last brush with these touts got me thinking and finding reason why sometimes nations need militaristic approaches to remain civilised.
Tuesday, September 18th 2012 at 1:43 pm
As much as it is a good initiative brought about especially for the security of us passengers as well as victimization. However these touts income came from touting and had the HCC thought of an alternative source of employment?
Tuesday, September 18th 2012 at 3:43 pm
For me the issue of touts is a thorny one. I agree that they have been around for years and some of their behaviour leaves little to be desired. I hope the clean up of touts will not just end up in the city centre but will deal with touts all over Zimbabwe. Have you seen the way touts at Mbare Musika harass the elderly, women and children. What about the ones at Mupedzanhamo and the showgrounds. Some of the behaviour of these touts can compare favourably to criminal behaviour. I associate touts with drunkeness, foul language, harrassment of women/ elderly and criminal behaviour. All these years we have turned a blind eye. Lets have one policy that across the entire nation on touting and deal with it forever.
Thursday, September 20th 2012 at 8:14 am
Its selective application of justice, were by everything becomes political and a drive into peoples belief that the authorities are doing something. I don’t think that this will be sustainable. You see every vote counts and to be able to get that vote the touts will be back in another form but the result will be the same. Right now if you focus on all informal business activities there is allegiance to one party for participation. So my view will remain that yes there is now order at ranks and a bit of cleanliness; how sustainable is this activity and lets braise for the touts come back.