Rudo Saungweme
As stated by Minister of Finance and Economic Development Professor Mthuli Ncube soon the austerity for prosperity mantra is going to bear fruit and every Zimbabwean will see where the economy is heading to. We are in the right direction. The intervention by Government on making life easier for everyone in terms of transport costs has shown that our Government is doing the best it can to make life tolerable for every citizen.
Commuter Omnibuses operators who were now making it a habit of exploiting their fellow Zimbabweans by charging unheard of transport fare prices have been challenged by the introduction of buses. It defied logic that Zimbabwe which had the cheapest fuel price on planet had the highest transport fares charged by the profiteering commuter omnibus operators who were now working in cahoots with regime change pundits as evidenced in the just ended violent shutdown on 14th to 16th of January.
Our people Government gave an ear to citizen`s plight and availed very cheap and affordable buses for everyone.
This development has forced commuter omnibuses to start charging reasonable fares as recently agreed between commuter operators associations and Government. One can deduce that the commuter operators were just taking advantage of people desperate to go to work since the commuter omnibuses were the only means of transport available.
The introduction of buses meant to address the transport grievances faced by the public is also in line with the Transitional Stabilisation Programme`s thrust to modernise the transport system in the country.
Buses introduced will also help in decongesting the Central Business District (CBD) as buses carry more people than smaller forms of transportation. Road accidents which are mainly caused by commuter omnibuses reckless drivers will also be lessened.
The bus fares are now afforded by all Zimbabweans. Our Government is for the people and works to improve the livelihoods of every Zimbabwean. We only need to work together to revive our economy. Let us address the challenges together as we will enjoy the national cake together.
On the contrary, some pressure groups together with the opposition party MDC want to see the situation in the country worsening as they work together with commuter operators to fuel price hikes.
The MDC has also a hand in influencing the commuter operators to increase transport fares so that they cause anarchy in the country.
However our Government and security are always on high alert to make sure that peace is maintained in our country.
People need to be patient as all the challenges being faced by the country are only temporary. Hence, I urge all Zimbabwean that if we can build our country together brick by brick, we will attain the middle income economy by 2030.
