High Court ends ZUPCO monopoly

The High Court in Bulawayo has ended the state-run Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO)’s monopoly.

This came after declaring that Section 4 (2) (a) of the Public health (Covid-19) Prevention Containment Android Treatment (National Lockdown) Order 2020 is unlawful, irregular and invalid.

Meanwhile, the company’s monopoly in the transport sector has been under the spotlight as stakeholders criticised the monopolization of the transport system and called for a moratorium on the ban on private players.

A recent discussion on Skyz Metro FM revealed that the ZUPCO monopoly continues to be a hot issue among commuters who are grappling with transport blues as the parastatal struggles to cope with demand.

ZUPCO’s stranglehold on the transport system has also rendered a significant number of citizens jobless due to the ban on kombis.

Executive Secretary for Administration of Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA), Thembelani Dube said the association is concerned by ZUPCO’s dominance in the public transport system which has resulted in dire consequences for private players.

“We are concerned with the ZUPCO monopoly which has deprived a lot of people of their salaries.

“When you look closely at the impact of the ban on private kombis, you will realize that not only were the kombi associations, drivers and touts affected but their families too,” said Dube.

Dube added there is nothing special about ZUPCO buses’ adherence to Covid 19 protocols as they operate the same way as private kombis.

He pointed out that some ZUPCO buses are as inconsistent as private kombis in sanitising commuters’ hands.

He argued that “there is no difference between ZUPCO and private kombis in relation to them making efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19, pointing out that ZUPCO sanitize passengers whenever they want and there are times that they do not sanitize at all while carrying passengers at full capacity.

Zwnews