Thousands walk to work after public transport protests

By Tererai Karimakwenda
July 13, 2007

Minibus operators protesting the arrests of their drivers and the vehicles impounded by police decided to pull their fleets off the streets on Friday as the government’s price control exercise intensified. The police confirmed that at least 100 drivers had been arrested in Harare alone and were detained at Mbare police station. Thousands of people walked to work Friday as only a few traditional buses were in service.

Business managers and owners who have been arrested are allegedly being treated harshly in prison. It is believed there are orders from top officials to intimidate them and make them uncomfortable. We also received reports that police and price task force members have continued looting in the shops and creating chaos.
These are the latest developments in the government campaign dubbed Operation Dzikisai Mutengo (reduce prices), which was initiated 2 weeks ago when businesses were ordered to reduce prices by 50%. A new law published last Friday spells out profit margins for items covered by the price controls and requires businesses to apply for permission before making changes.
Our correspondent Simon Muchemwa in Harare reported that bus fares have been fixed at Z$15,000 for distances above 20 kilometers and Z$10,000 for under 10 kilometers. Long distances such as Harare to Chitungwiza were fixed at Z$20,000. Petrol stations are being forced to sell fuel at Z$60,000 per litre, and there is not enough for all the transport needs in Harare. These fares are also not sustainable because the operators were paying up to Z$180,000 per litre for petrol which is very scarce, and were charging between Z$40,000 to Z$50,000 per trip. Muchemwa said thousands walked to work in the morning. The evenings are worse because workers return home at about the same time.

No solution has been offered by government so far as the economic climate continues to deteriorate. The price freezes have created shortages and forced many businesses to shut down. Long queues have appeared around the country and things are bound to get worse if nothing changes.