Bulawayo Commuters Call for Mutare-Style Crackdown on Violent Rank Touts

Commuters in Bulawayo are urging authorities to replicate the “Mutare model” at the city’s bus termini following a successful security operation in Mutare that dismantled illegal taxi rank cartels.

The nationwide enforcement campaign, led by the Joint Operations Command (JOC) comprising the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe National Army, and Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service has already restored order in several urban transport hubs, particularly in Mutare.

In the eastern border city, authorities recently arrested 57 suspected touts in a coordinated operation targeting what officials described as entrenched extortion networks at bus ranks.

Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka said law enforcement teams remain active on the ground to maintain pressure on offenders.

“Our teams moved in swiftly and made 57 arrests. We are committed to sustaining operations until the situation is fully under control,” he said.

The developments in Mutare have sparked growing calls in Bulawayo for similar interventions at busy ranks such as Entumbane, Renkini, and 6th Avenue, where commuters say illegal fees and intimidation remain widespread.

Some residents argue that only a coordinated multi-agency response can dismantle what they describe as deeply rooted criminal networks.

“The police alone are sometimes overwhelmed. We need a joint operation like in Mutare so that commuters are protected,” said Mr Sibangilizwe Ndlovu, a frequent traveller at Entumbane rank.

Another resident, Miss Khethiwe Moyo, said Bulawayo deserves the same level of security now seen in Mutare.

“We hear that Mutare is now peaceful. We want the same here. Authorities must show that law and order still prevail,” she said.

Before the crackdown, touts in Mutare were reportedly demanding illegal loading fees of around US$2 per passenger, often backed by intimidation and harassment of bus crews and travellers.

The seriousness of the issue was also highlighted by a separate incident in Harare, where Tafadzwa Simbarasi was arrested for allegedly leading a blockade against a bus company after it refused to pay illegal rank fees.

Commuters such as Mrs Alice Mutasa described the situation prior to the interventions as unbearable, citing daily harassment and extortion at bus terminals.