End mushikashika chases, police told Newsday Zimbabwe

Masuka said motorists should follow established traffic laws so that order is maintained and road accidents are reduced.

Minister of LANDS, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Anxious Masuka has called on police officers to stop chasing pirate taxis as such behavior leads to fatal road accidents.

He made the call last Thursday during a parliamentary session.

Masuka said motorists should follow established traffic laws so that order is maintained and road accidents are reduced.

“I first said that people who engage in musikashika chase each other with the police officers. Mostly it causes accidents and some people die during those accidents. So I encourage everyone to follow all the laws,” he told the House of Representatives.

“When police officers try to catch these people, they (mushikashika crews) run away and to make police officers stop chasing people, we have come up with cameras that are installed in such a way that the perpetrator can be seen on the camera from the license plate. to the driver, hence a summons is sent to the responsible person causing chaos on the roads.

“By doing this, we eliminate the problem of cat-and-mouse chases between police and mushikashika crews in the city.”

Masuka said all passenger cars must be registered.

“The problem is that there are cars that are allowed to transport people and those cars are known. There are also other cars that transport people but they are not registered for that purpose, especially the mushikashika cars that transport people around the city and pick up passengers from non-designated points,” he said.

“The government is installing cameras at all roadblocks and robots. They expect to do more where they will capture the license plate of the car and the photo of the person. They also see who owns the car and whether the car is registered to transport people or not.”

Masuka said the Home Affairs Minister plans to ensure that this system is linked to the individual and their banking details, including the individual’s national identity details.

“We do this so that when they cause trouble or break the law, all cases are centered on their personal accounts, to the extent that the money can be deducted without their knowledge soon after they commit a road offense or cause accidents. ” he said.

“We encourage all people to follow the law and as Zimbabweans we must use registered transport to transport people.

“On the transportation issue, Zupco and other bus companies are also encouraged to increase the number of buses and cars to transport people legally so that commuters have more than enough transportation and so that they do not end up resorting to the mushikashikas.”

Hurungwe East lawmaker Chenjerai Kangausaru (Zanu PF) had asked the House of Representatives whether it would be a good idea for the public to record the registration numbers of cars chased by law enforcement officers and take them to police stations.

“Isn’t it possible for the public to take down the registration numbers of those cars and ensure that they face the full wrath of the law, instead of chasing those cars because the police officers will usually chase these cars? Most of the chaos is caused by the hunting that takes place in the cities,” Kangausaru said.

Chikanga MP Lynette Karenyi-Kore (Citizens Coalition for Change) asked the House what the government is doing to help those who are injured or die in accidents, “as most of these people are breadwinners… and that may be causing the accidents are by police officers”.

“Is there any government policy for compensation of those injured or those who die during the chase by the police officers? Most victims would not have broken any law, but they are the victims of those who pursue each other. Is there any government policy for compensating the children or spouses and family that would have been left behind?” Karenyi-Kore asked.

Related topics