Innocent S. Ncube
The idea by Tendy Three Investments to curb lawlessness amongst the motoring public of Bulawayo in Central Business District is noble but there seem to be selective application of law from the company.
In the days preceding the Christmas day, the enforcement personel from TTI were seen clamping motorists in and around the Central Business District (CBD).
Several motorists that had parked “wrong” found themselves having to part with several United States dollars to have their vehicles unclamped.
Tendy Three Investments is a company that was awarded the tender to Build On Operate Transfer (BOOT) a parking system by the City of Bulawayo.
The company has been operating under controversial circumstances as some quarters of Bulawayo motoring public are questioning how TTI was awarded the tender.
Reports emanating from a dialogue hosted by the Public Policy Research Institute of Zimbabwe (PPRIZ) revealed that a huge part of revenue generated by TTI is from clamping fees.
The company has raised a whooping US$30 million in parking and clamping fees from February to July this year.
Asked on why the vehicles were being clamped, the law enforcers from TTI could only say,
“Kanti mdala awuboni ukuthi baphakhe wrong”
Old man can’t you see that they are not parked properly
True to this statement, three of the vehicles had breached parking rules. One had one wheel outside the parallel parking slot, another had overlapped unto the yellow lines.
This happened along 9th Avenue and George Silundika street.
Ironically, a block away on 8th Avenue, next to the City Hall, mshikashikas, (illegal pirate taxis), were breaching parking rules right infront of TTI personel and nothing was being done to the law breakers.
These rowdy drivers parked and picked up passangers in the middle of the street, double parked on bays, overlapped in their parking with absolute impunity.
This is not the only area such breach of parking rules occur. On 10th Avenue and Fort Street next to Bulawayo Centre parking crimes are commited right until late at night.
Still on Fort Street and 8th Avenue, Mshikashika pirate taxis have established an illegal picking up point across the Bulawayo Public Library.
All the above mentioned places are manned by TTI personnel and they simply turn a blind eye on such illegalities. Instead, TTI has developed a system of symphoning cash from unsuspecting drivers through clamping.
Malcom, a white motorist who had his car clamped along 9th Avenue said,
“What incesed me is that the parking attendant took my dollar (for parking fees) but never mentioned my irregular parking, a few minutes later am coming from the shop my car is clamped by the same company, this is bull…”
Tarirai Shonhiwa who was doing some shopping with his family echoed almost similar sentiments,
“I didn’t see the yellow lines because they were covered with sand after the rains, but after paying for parking, I come back and my car is clamped.”
When TTI clamping personnel was asked why they were applying the law selectively, they refused to comment.
This selective application of law is rampant at Tredgold Magistrate Courts along Leopold Takawira Avenue were unsuspecting motorists are clamped after parking at bays reserved for personnel who work at the courts. But right across the courts at the centre parking all breaches of illegal parking takes place and TTI simply looks aside.
If the law has to be applied, it must not be selective. TTI must ensure that all motorists who break parking laws are punished equally.
Efforts to get comment from the company were fruitless as the called number was not reachable.