Passengers stranded as Zim buses halted
HUNDREDS of passengers were left stranded after the International Cross-Border Traders Association (ICTA) withdrew all buses travelling to various parts of Zimbabwe as protests entered Day Two in the troubled country.
“As the International Cross-Border Traders Association we have withdrawn all buses.
“There will be no loading of buses till further notice,” said the association’s president, Denis Juru.
ICTA also issued a warning advising its members and travellers in and around Zimbabwe “to avoid Zimbabwean borders and unnecessary movements”.
“There’s a stayaway underway in Zimbabwe that we need to assess as an association if it is safe for travellers to embark on their cross-border trips,” added Juru.
“Stay away and be safe. Further information is available at our website.”
Reports claimed that at least five people were killed as police opened live ammunition to quell protests over a steep price increase.
A number of bus companies at Park Station, Powerhouse (Braamfontein) and Newtown in Joburg confirmed that they had suspended operations until the tensions eased.
“There are no buses travelling to Zimbabwe today (Tuesday). This is a safety precaution.
We will resume operations when the environment becomes peaceful,” Phillip Nhira, a bus operator at Powerhouse in Braamfontein told CAJ News Africa.
Tafira Hondova, a manager at a bus company at Park Station, also confirmed that operations to Zimbabwe had been suspended.
The deaths and the injuries sustained by at least 24 other people in the demonstrations were triggered by a worsening economic crisis in the country.
The upheaval comes months after government forces shot dead six civilians during post-election protests.
The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights, which confirmed the deaths, said it had treated more than 20 victims following the demonstrations that swept across the impoverished country days after President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced a massive 150% increase in the price of petrol and diesel to more than $3 (R42) a litre.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions called for a three-day general strike starting on Monday, which culminated in clashes between police and angry civilians.
State Security Minister Owen Ncube said at least 200 individuals suspected of involvement in violent protests had been arrested.
“The security services (tracked) down others and (sifted) through video and photographic evidence to identify more.
“Normalcy is assured and the public is urged to do their normal activities,” a government spokesperson said.
At midnight, the headquarters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change Alliance in Harare was petrol-bombed by unknown people.
However, the party suspected the office was hit by Zanu-PF supporters.
Yesterday, the country’s cities resembled ghost towns as people stayed largely indoors.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions urged workers and citizens to stay at home.
“Today (Tuesday) is day two of the shutdown. Our struggle is genuine and there must be economic reforms for the poor to survive,” the labour union said.
Schools nationwide were closed. Public transport stopped operating. “The masses have spoken,” said lawyer and activist Doug Coltart.
Internet services were also shut down in an apparent ploy by the government to stifle protests.
Services such as WhatsApp and Facebook were blocked, reminiscent of scenes in 2006 when the then-president Robert Mugabe regime faced countrywide protests.
The opposition said the internet blockade was aimed at covering up a crackdown against civilians by the heavy-handed security services.
Zimbabwe is the fourth country after the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Sudan to shut internet services amid anti-government sentiment this year.
The southern African country was battling severe economic hardships that the Mnangagwa government had pledged to address when he was elected president in the contentious general elections held in July last year. |