HARARE – In a move set to dramatically reshape the capital’s transport landscape, the City of Harare has unveiled plans to ban commuter omnibuses (kombis) within the next three years and outlaw pirate taxis (mishikashika) with immediate effect. The ambitious plan, outlined in the recently adopted Harare master plan covering 2025-45, aims to address concerns about road safety and modernise the city’s transport system.
The ban on kombis and pirate taxis, which are often blamed for flouting road regulations and contributing to fatal accidents in Harare and other urban areas across Zimbabwe, is a key component of the master plan. While the government had previously banned commuter omnibuses during the COVID-19 pandemic, they were later permitted to return to the roads after the easing of restrictions.
According to the Harare master plan, “Policy 109” dictates the banning of commuter omnibuses in Harare within the next three years, while “Policy 110” enforces an immediate ban on pirate taxis.
The decision to ban kombis, which are relied upon by a significant portion of the city’s population, has raised concerns about the availability of alternative transport options. About half of Harare residents depend on kombis, buses, and pirate taxis for their daily commute, while 16.9% walk, and 28.5% use private vehicles.
Experts have cautioned that the ban must be accompanied by the provision of adequate and reliable alternative modes of transport to avoid disrupting the commuting public.
Zimbabwe Union for Drivers and Conductors president Frederick Maguramhinga urged the council to engage with operators constructively. “If the master plan is done with aggression, just like what happened before, we will not be able to resolve these issues; it will create problems for our country in the future,” he said.
Maguramhinga argued that kombis are a common mode of transport in many countries and that a complete ban is impractical, particularly given the poor condition of the roads. He also expressed doubts about the capacity of buses to adequately meet the transport needs of the population. “The buses that they call mass transport systems will not get all people and one cannot wait for five hours for a bus to get into town and travel five to seven kilometres to get in town,” Maguramhinga said.
Passengers Association of Zimbabwe president Tafadzwa Goliath echoed these concerns, urging the council to prioritise addressing existing infrastructure challenges before implementing the ban. “The proposed ban on kombis and illegal pirate transport in Harare’s master plan draft raises concern about the practicality and feasibility of such a move,” he said.
Goliath emphasised the need for a comprehensive approach that balances the desire for improved transportation with the realities of the city’s current infrastructure limitations, including inadequate public toilets and bus termini. “The Passengers Association of Zimbabwe believes that a more comprehensive approach is needed, one that balances the need for improved transportation with the reality of the city’s current infrastructure limitations,” he said.
The master plan also addresses other forms of transport within the city. It stipulates that all three-wheeled taxis are prohibited from operating on Harare roads and mandates that all ride-hailing operators submit GPS telemetry data and monthly ridership reports to the director of urban planning with immediate effect. Non-compliant companies face a ban from operating within the city.
The master plan further proposes that the City of Harare engages the State through the Local Government and Public Works ministry and the Transport and Infrastructural Development ministry for the return of motor vehicle licensing to the city. It also calls for the allocation of Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) funds proportional to the number of vehicles registered in the city for funding road improvements.
The report highlights the inadequacy of existing bus termini in the central business district, which are unable to cope with the volume of buses and commuter omnibuses. “The operators are now parking their buses and kombis around the ranks, blocking traffic and causing congestion. There are no marked drop-off zones in the CBD bus termini. On some ranks, there are multiple entry and exit points and this makes it difficult to control traffic in the termini,” the report read.
The master plan also acknowledges the city’s weak traffic demand policies and the lack of institutional support for non-motorised transport, such as cycling and walking. “There is a stigma around non-motorised transport, especially among Harare residents who associate it with poverty,” the report notes.
However, the master plan suggests that this mindset could change if the Harare City Council invests in infrastructure and policies that promote non-motorised transport. “If Harare City Council could make adequate provision in terms of infrastructure investments and policies, this mindset could change, and people will tend to keep using non-motorised transport even though their income levels allow for the usage of motorised transportation,” the master plan said.
The proposed ban on kombis and pirate taxis marks a significant step towards transforming Harare’s transport system. However, its success hinges on the provision of viable alternatives, improved infrastructure, and a shift in public attitudes towards non-motorised transport. The coming years will be crucial in determining whether Harare can achieve its ambitious vision of a modern, efficient, and safe transport system for all its residents.
The policy agenda that led to the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (Esap) in 1991, supported by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, aimed to change Zimbabwe’s controlled economy to a market-driven economy. It is against these broader Esap policy goals that the public transport sector in urban areas was in principle partially deregulated in August 1993, allowing privately-operated commuter omnibuses (also known as kombis) to compete with Zupco. The city now seeks to reverse this deregulation in its attempt to modernise.
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