By A Correspondent-President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s notorious business cartel—popularly known as Zvigananda—is allegedly eyeing a hostile takeover of Harare’s lucrative commuter transport sector, with plans to ban commuter omnibuses (kombis) and pirate taxis, paving the way for cartel-linked transport monopolies.
Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume, who is aligned with opposition renegade Sengezo Tshabangu, is reportedly facilitating this agenda under the guise of “urban renewal.” The move is widely seen as a front for looting, backed by Mnangagwa’s administration.
The Zvigananda cartel—so named for its shadowy blend of Zanu PF cronies and business elites—is already deeply embedded in corrupt state tenders, including the scandal-ridden Pomona waste deal. Their blueprint is simple: hijack public services, privatise them under state blessing, and extract maximum profit from desperate citizens.
Now, they want the commuter omnibus sector.
Under Harare’s newly adopted 2025–2045 Master Plan, all kombis will be banned in the next three years, while pirate taxis—mishikashika—face immediate outlawing. Authorities argue this will reduce congestion and accidents. But behind the public relations spin lies a deeper plot: to replace small, independent transport operators with cartel-owned buses and services.
Insiders say Mafume’s council is acting on directives from Local Government ministry controlled by Mnangagwa. Tshabangu, who controversially seized control of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) in Parliament with suspected state backing, is also reportedly part of the wider effort to neutralise opposition-led municipalities and facilitate looting.
Critics say this is a repeat of the COVID-19 era, when kombis were banned and the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco)—a state-linked entity with ties to Mnangagwa’s associates—briefly monopolised urban transport, raking in profits while offering poor service.
“Zvigananda’s fingerprints are all over this,” said a council source. “They are positioning to dominate the transport system the same way they took over refuse collection and construction contracts.”
Transport experts have slammed the plan as unrealistic and anti-poor. “You can’t ban kombis without providing alternatives,” said Zimbabwe Union for Drivers and Conductors president Frederick Maguramhinga. “People will be left stranded. This is not about sanity—it’s about money.”
Passenger Association of Zimbabwe president Tafadzwa Goliath added: “Council should focus on basics—like fixing public toilets and termini—before dreaming of banning kombis.”
The master plan also proposes banning three-wheeled taxis, demanding GPS data from ride-hailing firms, and pushing for a return of vehicle licensing to council control—another potential revenue stream for the corrupt elite.
In reality, kombis transport over 50% of Harare’s commuters. Banning them without affordable alternatives will only deepen public hardship.
This latest manoeuvre underscores how Mnangagwa’s regime continues to hide looting and elite enrichment behind policy rhetoric, aided by captured councils and political puppets like Mafume and Tshabangu. With Zvigananda now circling Harare’s transport arteries, the future looks bleak for independent operators—and for ordinary Zimbabweans who rely on them.