17 Jun 2013

Every day when Ms Chadza Macheng catches a minibus home after a hard day’s work, she is worried that her journey will be cut short if the combi driver makes an improper U-turn, some distance from her destination.

Ms Macheng is aware that this action could mean that she has to walk, sometimes alone, to reach her house at Molapo Estates, a relatively new suburb on the southeastern outskirts of Francistown. Worse still, it is often dark when she walks  home alone, making her face the challenges of the nighton her own.

She is a victim of minibuses plying the Francistown routes that refuse go all the way to Molapo Estates to complete their route. She says in an interview that, “it is sad that many combi operators refuse to complete the prescribed route and instead they choose to drop passengers at Block 10, leaving a great distance ahead.”

Ms Macheng says the remaining stretch for her is laden with frighteningly thick bushes and on many occasions, there have been cases of rape and related attacks as thugs rob people of their belongings. Although very few operators go all the way to Molapo, many of them do not care about their passengers, she says.

Equally upset is Mr Chilani Mhlanga, who has to go to work at Adansonia Hotel at Molapo Estates every day from Block 10. “I used to get to work late because they would drop me off some distance from my work place, arguing that their route ended there,” he says, adding that he would walk the remaining distance, often arriving late for work.

Mr Mlhanga said he had to learn fast. Now he knows the difference between the ‘bad’ combis and the ‘good’ ones, so he chooses well, even if it means painful delays. Mr Francis Monyatsi, another resident, says he has to meet his son every day at Block 6 where a lot of combis make a U-turn, leaving passengers stranded.

“Combi drivers refuse completely to go to Molapo; some will state their opinion plainly before they leave the rank,” says Mr Monyatsi categorically, adding that it is a challenge because he is often forced to provide his son with enough money for a special taxi fare, which he does not always have.

He adds that children are not allowed cellphones at school, which complicates the issue even more because he cannot communicate with his son to know where he is after school. On the other hand, Mr Mishingo Magazine, a combi driver who also sits on the drivers’ committee that liaises with the superior taxi association, says initially the combi route ended at Block 6.

However, since late last year, the Department of Road Transport and Safety (DRTS) provided them with a new sketch showing that the route had been extended to Molapo Estates, says Mr Magazine. Apparently some combi drivers refused to accept the change, instead preferring to have their routes extended elsewhere arguing that Molapo Estate is not good for business.

“We sat down with all combi drivers and discussed the sketch and, in the end, only very few seemed to accept, while others were unwilling,” Mr Magazine says. Taxi Association secretary, Mr Tafila Dumisani, says the association is not aware that some combi drivers do not finish their routes adding that they have never received any complaints.

“I think as a taxi association, we should go back to our members to find out why they do not complete the route in question and we promise to solve the matter as soon as possible,” says Mr Dumisani.

He says passengers should feel free to report offending drivers to the Taxi Association.

Meanwhile, DTRS transport inspector, Mr Matlhogonolo Motsomi has warned that any combi driver who fails to complete their route could face a P400 fine.  ENDS