National concern raised over lawlessness and gender based violence at urban and intercity bus ranks
Nqobizwe Thebe
Zimbabwe’s National Assembly on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, raised urgent concerns over escalating lawlessness and gender-based violence at urban and intercity bus ranks, with MPs warning that the spaces have become dangerous zones for commuters, particularly women, girls, and the elderly.
Raising a point of national interest, Hon. Mutandi (Goromonzi West) said touts have overtaken local authority control at major sites such as Mbare, Roadport, Showground, Dangamvura, and Old Renkin, enforcing illegal levies while fostering drug abuse and violence.
“Sites like Mbare and Rezende Parkade have descended into chaos, with touts dragging women into buses and enforcing levies outside the law. Women and girls are no longer safe,” Mutandi said.
He reminded Parliament of a chilling case: “We now have an incident where a girl was raped at the Rezende Parkade in Harare. These are clear indicators that our citizens, especially women and girls, are no longer safe at bus termini.”
Mutandi added that the problem was not isolated: “These touts are literally harassing women by dragging them into buses. It is a very sad development because no one seems to be monitoring the situation.”
He called for immediate measures, including stricter police presence, enforcement of municipal by-laws, formalisation of touts’ roles through registration and uniforms, and installation of CCTV and GPS systems at bus ranks.
The Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Jacob Mudenda acknowledged the urgency: “This is a very important issue because we are dealing with the safety and security of the travelling public. We will refer this matter to the relevant Portfolio Committee so that immediate measures are recommended.”
The debate highlighted growing anxiety over the safety of public transport hubs, long plagued by crime and gender-based violence.
