Harare City Council Plans To Merge Kombi Associations

Harare City Council plans to merge more than 20 commuter omnibus associations into a single umbrella body to bring order to the city’s increasingly chaotic public transport system.

Under the proposed plan, one central association would be created, supported by up to six affiliate groups.

The move comes after discussions between the leadership of the National Public Passenger Transport Associations and council officials.

Last month, the group, led by chairperson Ngoni Katsvairo, met with Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume to push for a council resolution, the introduction of a supporting by-law, and service level agreements to formalise operations.

Speaking to The Herald, Mayor Mafume said the sheer number of associations had made it difficult for the council to regulate the sector effectively. Said Mafume:

“We have too many associations operating in Harare, and that makes regulation extremely difficult.

“The idea now is for them to come under one umbrella, with a few affiliates responsible for self-regulation.

“We have engaged the leadership to create one umbrella association for Harare, with about four to six affiliates that can handle the self-regulatory component of public transport.

“Council will then complement that with a statutory regulatory framework.”

Mafume said that once the system is in place, it will make managing commuter ranks easier and open the door for investment in modern transport infrastructure.

Katsvairo welcomed the move to formalise operations through legislation, pointing out that of the more than 18,000 public service vehicles currently operating in Harare, only around 5,400 are registered.

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