The City of Masvingo has finally moved long-distance buses from the central business district to Mucheke Bus Terminus, ending years of failed enforcement and resistance from operators that had delayed the move since 2022.
The relocation took effect on 8 September 2026, following a directive by Mayor Alec Tabe at a full council meeting last week. He gave operators a one-week ultimatum to vacate informal loading points in town, including Old Croco Motors and Chicken Inn.
It comes after the recent removal of all mushikashika taxis from the CBD to designated areas at Old Aroma and the main Chicken Inn.
The move is a major win for the local authority, which had repeatedly resolved to relocate the buses since 2022 but failed due to operator resistance, poor coordination between municipal police and the ZRP, and the poor state of facilities at Mucheke Rank.
Mucheke Bus Terminus was abandoned over a decade ago, with buses shifting to scattered, unregulated points in the CBD.
The issue first resurfaced in June 2022, when full council resolved that all buses should use Mucheke from 1 June. Almost two weeks later, nothing had happened, with then mayor Collen Maboke blaming coordination problems between municipal police and the ZRP.
In August 2022, council suspended the revival of the rank pending road rehabilitation and instead proposed a mini-rank at Croco Motors.
In February 2023, council resolved to take over refurbishment of Mucheke directly to speed it up.
Between 2024 and 2025, the refurbishment continued to be described as a “pipe dream”. Council wanted to upgrade it to a “state-of-the-art rank” with private partners, but buses kept loading in the CBD.
At the recent full council meeting, councillors raised concerns about the state of Mucheke and argued that council should renovate it before moving buses.
However, Mayor Tabe stood his ground, insisting that the necessary works would be done while buses were operating there.
“We will work on that while the buses are there. Out of every chaos there is a solution. Moving buses to Mucheke would also create more space for mushikashika to operate locally,” Tabe said.
The move is expected to decongest the city centre and allow local mushikashika operators to have designated areas in town but outside the CBD.
It has been welcomed by many residents who say they are already seeing more order in town. Shop owners at Mucheke have also welcomed the return of buses, saying it will boost business.
Vendors who were trading at Old Croco Motors and other informal loading points have been hit hard, however, as the buses were a major source of customers.
More: TellZim News
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