A fierce fight between police and kombi crews re-surfaced again this week after the former barricaded most roads in Harare seeking to arrest those that fraught traffic laws.

CORAH witnessed police barricading roads such as Robson Manyika, Angwa Street, Innez Terrace, Jaison Moyo, Robert Mugabe, South Avenue, Julius Nyerere and down town Harare.

 In one incident this morning, a taxi driver was severely attacked by some police officers who accused him of resisting arrest. The police smashed the taxi's windscreen further compounding the cabman's injuries. He was taken to Parirenyatwa Hospital were he was treated and discharged.

 So intense has been the police/ kombi crew battles that another woman was hit by a kombi at the corner of  Angwa Street and Robson Manyika as the kombi driver was trying to flee from marauding police officers wielding baton sticks.

 In most cases, pedestrians and other motorists have been left exposed to road accidents as police officers randomly smash kombi windscreens in an effort to arrest fleeing kombi drivers. The situation has become so tense that the Charge Office Terminus area now resembles a war-zone every morning as the police and kombi crews try to out-do each other.
 Malvern Chikara, a kombi driver who says he has witnessed police harassments say government should urgently intervene before the situation gets out of hand.
‘I think the situation needs urgent government intervention otherwise it will worsen to un-imaginable levels. The police are being too heavy-handedness to the extent that they think it is worth putting the lives of passengers and pedestrians at risk simply because they want to arrest someone and fine or get bribes of $10 to $50. Surely there should be a way of apprehending traffic offenders in a way that does not create more danger for road users,’ said Chikara.

 A senior government official told parliament this week that police will continue with their blitz against public transporters. He justified the existence of several roadblocks in and around Harare saying no one should interfere with police work.

Buoyed by Harare City Council’s failure to consistently collect garbage, residents in Kuwadzana Phase 3, Glen Norah and Highfield have started an exercise to clean their suburbs fearing there could be another cholera or typhoid outbreak if litter is not collected.Tsitsi Wadawareva who is a residents leader in Kuwadzana Phase 3 told CORAH on Tuesday that they decided to embark on the clean-up exercise after realising that council was failing to clean the streets and collect refuse for dumping at designated areas.

‘We are the ones who are affected by poor service delivery so we decided to clean the streets on our own because council doesn’t seem to be concerned about refuse collection yet we are paying refuse collection charges every month. We have gone for three weeks now without refuse being collected and so as residents we can’t just sit and watch while being exposed to health hazards,’ said Wadawareva.

 However, the exercise was seriously compromised when council’s refuse collection vehicles failed to arrive on time as had been agreed between council and the residents. This infuriated some residents with others threatening to invade local council offices over the matter. The refuse collection vans later arrived at around 12pm with the council employees claiming they were delayed since as they were looking for fuel. This explanation infuriated local councilor Girisoti Mandere who threatened to report them to their superiors.

The exercise, which started on Tuesday in Kuwadzana Phase 3 spread to Glen Norah yesterday where about 100 residents cleaned streets with local residents leader Lucy Rusere saying they will continue with the exercise until such a time when things return to normalcy.

‘We have got no option but to start the cleaning exercise because the environment is ours and we are the ones who get exposed to diseases if refuse is not collected,’ said Rusere. She also urged the government to craft laws that make it an offence for anyone to throw litter at undesignated areas.

 Tomorrow the project, which is being facilitated by Harare Residents Trust (HRT), will move on to Highfield where residents are expected to clean the streets, shopping centres and other dirty places as way of keeping a healthy environment.

 Harare has not been able to continuously collect garbage in all suburbs triggering an outcry from residents who fear for the return of the dreaded cholera and typhoid diseases.

Residents launch clean up campaignsResidents launch clean up campaigns

A huge Zebra appeared Thursday morning at Tichagarika Shopping Centre in Glen View sending some residents into shock and panic. The zebra, which initially felt comfortable before a swelling crowd surrounded it, became unease as some residents started throwing stones and other objects at it before community leaders intervened. Harold, Budiriro
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When elderly ladies like Mbuya Irene Svosve of Glen Norah who is aged 70 years take their time out to clean their community, the young generation has to find time to serve their community. United we develop for the better. HRT
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Treated water has been gushing out of a burst water pipe at the entrance of Sunningdale 1 Primary School. How long does it take council to address such simple matters? What pains us is that we know the lost water’s value is going to increase in our water charges. Come on council. Spiker, Sunningdale
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The Charge Office Bus Terminus must be temporarily moved to 4th Street while city engineering and planning departments make amends because that terminus and many other CBD kombi termini locations are now traffic hazards areas. GSM, Harare