FACTSHEET: Rape, robbery and public transport crisis - ZimFact
Ngoni Mhuruyengwe
October 6, 2021
Cases of rape and robbery involving pirate taxis have been on the increase in the country, but how many cases has the police recorded?
According to data from the Zimbabwe Republic Police, cases of rape and robbery between January to August 2021 have increased by 14% and 103%, respectively, compared to the same period last year.
Below is a table with combined data for cases recorded in all ten provinces countrywide between January to August 2020 and 2021 respectively
Source: Zimbabwe Republic Police
In March 2020, the government  effectively banned private commuter buses, except those operating under the state-owned Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco). However, the buses available under this arrangement fall far short of the volume of commuters.
As a result, urban transport problems have worsened, leaving desperate commuters to rely on pirate taxis, some which are involved in criminal activity.
This has been highlighted as one of the major causes of the increase in rape and robbery cases in pirate taxis.
Between January to August 2021, the police impounded 8331 pirate taxis which were operating illegally countrywide.
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