The Government has defended Zimbabwe's liberalised transport system, arguing that private operators must continue bridging commuter transport gaps in urban centres despite concerns over growing transport shortages.
The issue came under scrutiny in the National Assembly after Lobengula-Magwegwe legislator Tendai Nyathi questioned what measures were being taken to ease transport challenges in major cities, including Harare, Bulawayo and Gweru where commuters say the state-run ZUPCO bus fleet is no longer meeting demand.
Responding on behalf of the government, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said Zimbabwe's transport sector had been deliberately liberalised to encourage private investment and improve service provision.
"The transport sector in Zimbabwe was liberalised. However, the Government was also a player in the transport industry and we believe that progressively, those players that are in the industry should be able to meet the demand for transporting our commuters," Ziyambi told Parliament.
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He dismissed suggestions of a major transport breakdown saying the country was not facing a severe crisis.
"Currently, I do not believe that we have a very significant crisis in terms of transportation in the country," he said.
However, Nyathi challenged the minister's assessment, pointing to the increasing number of unregistered mushika-shika operators informal transport vehicles often blamed for disorder and safety concerns.
"We see that there is now an influx of Honda Fit cars that are used as mushika-shika ferrying people from where they reside to town and to industrial sites. This is because there is a crisis," Nyathi said.
But Ziyambi argued that the rise of informal transport operators reflected economic opportunities created by the open market system.
"We believe there is an opportunity that is there within the transport sector for those among us who want to invest there," he said.
Lawmakers also questioned the future of rail-based urban commuter transport, once widely used to ferry workers between residential suburbs and city centres.
Opposition legislator Lynette Karenyi asked what plans government had to revive commuter rail systems to ease congestion on roads.
In response, Ziyambi said efforts were underway to revive the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), which is now under the Mutapa Investment Fund.
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"Our National Railways of Zimbabwe is now under Mutapa and we are now trying to leverage our assets so that we can get an investor or a loan to ensure that we resuscitate our National Railways," he said.
The minister said restoring rail transport could significantly reduce pressure on roads and limit damage caused by heavy vehicles.
"We believe that it will also ease pressure on our road network if we can increase the usage of our rail network," he added.
Meanwhile, legislator Darlington Chigumbu asked what government was doing to restore order in the transport sector and deal with pirate taxis and illegal operators.
Ziyambi said transport rank marshals commonly known as hwindis were not inherently problematic provided they operated legally.
"It is not bad to have rank marshals or hwindis if they follow the law," he said.
He added that authorities were increasingly relying on surveillance technology and traffic monitoring systems to enforce transport regulations.
"The Ministry of Home Affairs, together with the Police and Judiciary, now have monitoring mechanisms through cameras," Ziyambi said.
The debate comes as many urban commuters continue to complain of long waiting times, overcrowding and rising transport costs, particularly during peak hours.
