Commuters who travel with buses to work every day have expressed their fear of the armed soldiers who guards them in the Buses saying they are not used to that kind of setup.
In an interview, one Harare man who resides in Highfield and spoke on condition of anonymity expressed his fear of getting shot by the soldiers and pleaded them to at least patrol with battle sticks and leave the fire arms at their bases since this is not a war zone.
“This is not
a war zone, I thought we attained our independence long back, why are the
soldiers walking with guns?” He said.
A Glenorah
lady named Rumbi, who works in the CBD, traveling to and from work every day by
bus said the carrying of guns by soldiers in buses is very scary, she added
that in as much as she like to travel by bus the guns are limiting her freedom
to enjoy the ride since it is her first time seeing gun in real life.
“I had never seen a gun at close range before, it is so scary in real life that I shiver each time I see a soldier holding it. I really like traveling by bus but these guns are limiting my freedom.”
One elderly
woman from Kuwadzana who called her self Mbuya va Juli said she had last saw
guns during the war in the 70’s and was shocked and asked if the war has
returned.
“Mwanangu (My child) has the war come back? I last saw this kind of movement in the 70s, are we back there?” She asked.
However some
Harare residents are enjoying the armed soldiers in buses saying it creates a
safe environment especially to the commuter omnibus operators who are angry
that their business had come to a standstill since the introduction of buses on
the roads.
The
government last week introduced the buses as a form of transport to create an
easier and cheaper traveling environment for the workers who were charged heavy
fares by the commuter omnibus operators.
