By Loyd Matare
“When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers,” and in Harare’s central business district, ordinary citizens have become the grass beneath unending police–mushikashika battles.
For years, this tense standoff has played out daily. Officers on motorbikes and on foot with batons pursue rogue kombis operating in the CBD to enforce the law, while those on the streets are left navigating sudden turns, speeding vehicles, and the unpredictable chaos of enforcement.
What is officially framed as law and order increasingly feels reckless and ‘inhumane’ to those simply trying to move through the CBD.
The concerns intensified following a tragic incident recently at the intersection of Robert Mugabe Road and Inez Terrace, where a man later identified as Blessing Mangezi was struck by a speeding mushikashika that lost control while fleeing police.
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At the time, Mangezi was attempting to resolve a clamping dispute with City of Harare parking marshals, shortly after paying a fine for mistakenly turning into a one-way street along Angwa Street.
“Police chase kombis, kombis chase money, and pedestrians run for their lives. It’s a cycle that never ends. It’s a new year this war can’t go on forever,” one pedestrian Tafadzwa Murewa said.
The incident has since exposed deep fault lines in traffic enforcement, with both police and City of Harare parking authorities distancing themselves from blame.
Yet on the streets, fear remains constant not only from traffic chases, but also from running battles between council officers and vendors, where enforcement often mirrors confrontation rather than control.
Speaking to AfroGazette News, Passengers Association of Zimbabwe (PAZ) national coordinator Tafadzwa Goliati said the current approach to traffic enforcement was failing the very people it was meant to protect.
“Law enforcement authorities must urgently upgrade traffic by-laws and the Traffic Act to reflect modern urban realities. The current framework is outdated and puts lives at risk,” Goliati said.
“Police must find safer, smarter ways to deal with mushikashika. Chases in crowded CBD streets endanger innocent road users and we are losing lives. Enough is enough.”
He also criticised the City of Harare’s parking enforcement systems, calling for order and humanity.
“Parking enforcement should be orderly and humane. Parking agents must be accessible and responsive to motorists instead of escalating already tense situations,” he said.
