Irate bus drivers in Kabwe were up in arms against their fellow colleagues , the pirate taxi drivers whom they accused of interfering with their operations.
The registered minibus drivers lamented that most of the mushrooming of pirated taxis in the town were operating illegally saying in most cases were not event paying tax like they do.
As a result there was commotion in the Central Business District of Kabwe after the drivers blocked most streets in the town centre.
The aggrieved parties marched later to the Provincial Administration seeking the address of the area District Commissioner, Patrick Chishala .
Commissioner Chishala however assured the drivers that his office was aware of the problems they were facing mainly caused by the illegal taxi operators.
Kabwe Bus Drivers Association, General Secretary, George Kamwimbe, justified the demonstration.
“We are paying various taxes to the government through the Zambia Revenue Authority, Kabwe Municipal Council and RTSA while these pirated taxis are not paying anything and are illegally operating in the eyes of the law.” said Mr. Kamwimbe.
Mr. Kamwimbe believed that the PF is a government of laws and order, and stated that President Michael Sata is a man of action, but wondered how this illicit activity has continued.
Meanwhile, Kabwe Bus Drivers Association, Vice Chairperson, Madalitso Zulu, says it was time the Kabwe Municipal Council [KMC] started considering the bus drivers as stakeholders in the transport sector.
“To us [drivers], we believe those are illegal because those are not taxis but private vehicles which apparently, are not registered as public vehicles as they still have black number plates.” said Mr.
Zulu.
Mr. Zulu questioned if it would be right for them as bus drivers to sit down and watch the non-tax payers such as the illegal taxi operators to benefit from their illicit actions of taking away their
business.
ZANIS
Good start. If you wait for law enforcement you will wait forever… congratulations!
Lock those unruly drivers, pipo must find self employment, even in China we have black taxis so what about zambia where PF is not creating Jobs and RTSA is useless as Kabwata MP???
We shall never develop our continent as long as we don’t enforce our laws.
competition is healthy. pipo prefer taxis bcoz some buses hav rude drivers and dirty and drunk condactors.
I agree with you,minibuses drivers & they conductors they don’t consider time they make stoppages any how so pipo prefer taxis to beat the time,remember time is money.
The bus drivers and their dirty conductors should put their house in order first before complaining. Suppose these taxis get registered are they going to get even buisness, they are still losers. What the bus drivers are asking the state is to remove street vendors in this case pirators. Let the state relax opportunities for people to formalise their businesses. period.
MAn of action? wonama
YES BUSES HAVE NO PR TO POINT THAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FORCED TO BUY THEIR OWN CARS . SOME PEOPLES WIVES ARE LITERARY GRABBED INTO MINIBUSES BY DIRTY CALL BOYS EVEN WHERE THE BUS IS ALREADY POINTING IN THE DESTINATION. WHAT TYPE OF EMPLOYMENT IS BEING A CALL BOY ?
I hate dirty hands from vima gonena touching me kuchita kulimbilana kwati ndiwe kanyama no wonder i also prefer Taxis to Buses.