Kombi bosses accuse City Council of corruption

31 Aug, 2014 - 06:08 0 Views

The Sunday Mail

Municipal Reporter

Twenty-six commuter omnibus operators have taken Harare City Council to court for impounding their vehicles on allegations of picking passengers at undesignated points and forcing them to pay US$238 in storage fees.

The operators — through their lawyers, Mutsvairo and Associates — sought an urgent order, but Justice Charles Hungwe dismissed the application and the matter will be heard on a date to be advised.

In papers filed at the High Court last Wednesday, the operators argue that new regulations stipulating that impounded vehicles be kept for 14 days were illegal, and accused council of corruptly releasing omnibuses belonging to other operators before the period expired. The local authority as well as its Public Safety Director and Officer Commanding Harare Municipal Traffic Police are first, second and third respondent, respectively. Town House was yet to respond by late Friday afternoon.

The operators’ application reads, in part: “The 14-day rule after which one is to pay a fine is illegal as it is not provided by the Harare municipal by-laws. They are accumulating storage fees of US$17 per day yet the respondent is not allowing applicants to pay fine until after 14 days have elapsed for no apparent reason. The respondent is also charging storage fees of US$17 per day on each motor vehicle and after 14 days the amount will be US$238. This means that the applicants are being penalised for not collecting their commuter omnibuses on time yet it is the respondents who deliberately caused the delay only to unjustly enrich itself by demanding payment on storage charges.”

The operators also argue that council is depriving them of business and forcing many out of employment by holding on to their vehicles. As a result, commuters are also facing transport problems, they added.

“The applicants depend on those commuter omnibuses for a living and also their employees and their families.

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