HelloMukoma

Two wrongs don't make a right. Harare municipal police and ZRP have been using spikes as a traffic control measure against kombis, especially in the CBD and in many instances this has resulted in innocent people getting injured or killed as well as damage to property including vehicles and buildings.

The action by police is endangering peoples' lives instead of protecting them, as kombi drivers end up losing control of vehicles due to deflated tyres or colliding with other vehicles while trying to avoid the spikes, or run over pedestrians or ram into buildings.

What is hair-raising is the fact that many of these kombis will be carrying passengers.

Police should not treat passengers as collateral damage in their war against the unrepentant kombi drivers.

Although we agree that kombi drivers should adhere to designated routes and pick and drop points, we strongly believe the use of spikes is bad policing as these should be used against hard core criminals rather than kombis.

Police should note the kombi's number and then effect an arrest later, for instance, at a road block, or when kombis are doing their renewals.

Kombi operators should have a united national association, which can then engage the law enforcement agencies and together they can come up with lasting, mutually beneficial solutions in the interest of road safety and orderliness.