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MARSHALS TURN BUS RANK INTO WAR ZONE

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MBABANE –  From being a bus rank to a war zone.

Marshals at the Mbabane Bus Rank allegedly insult each other and use weapons such as slashers to attack each other. This allegedly happens in full view of members of the public including women and children who are often traumatised by such incidents. This is allegedly the current situation at the Mbabane Bus Rank which has been turned into a war zone by kombi marshals who are fighting over platforms or loading zones. The kombi marshals, who are reported to be fighting, are those from the Mbabane Kombi and Midi-bus Association and those from the Local Kombi Association. The Mbabane Kombi and Mid-Bus Association has since approached the court which opined that if this situation was left unattended, it would result in bloodshed and loss of life.  According to the Midi-Bus Association, the intervention of the court to bring harmony was not only beneficial to the people of Mbabane but the country at large. In its application, the association informed the court that there was a commotion of struggle and use of force and arms by the marshals at the Mbabane Bus Rank that disturbs peace and stability.

Respondents in the matter are Simon Msebenzomuhle Mnisi, who operates a public transport business trading as Rejoice Transport, The Road Transportation Board (RTB) and the attorney general. Maria Hoffman who is the Secretary General of the Association told the court that the paramount objective of the association, among others, was to promote harmony, unity and efficiency in the kombi and midi bus operation of the members in Mbabane and other regions or routes where its members operated their businesses. She highlighted that as an association, they employ and place rank marshals, where they are partners with sister associations’ marshals. Hoffman also mentioned that the Mbabane Municipal Council was their partner in that they worked together for the smooth and peaceful running of the public transport system at the bus rank. “Our members mostly comprise kombi operators and are based in Mbabane. Most of the kombi operators servicing Mbabane, Pigg’s Peak express routes are our members. The association therefore has marshals that control and regulate our platforms to their respective destinations,” submitted Hoffman.

She further pointed out that every service provider was categorised in terms of the permit such that express kombi from Mbabane – Pigg’s Peak had a platform where they loaded passengers and those that service Mbabane, Mnyokane, Maguga, KaLaZwane to Pigg’s Peak had a different platform designated as local. She alleged that the two were not mixed. She told the court that last Wednesday, they received a complaint from their marshals concerning a kombi owned by Mnisi that was loading on the Mbabane – Pigg’s Peak express platform yet it was an all-station kombi. She alleged that they attended to the issue immediately where they sought to check the permit and confirmed that there was an existing permit issued by RTB to Mnisi to service Pigg’s Peak, KaLaZwane, Ncesi, Mnyokane and Mbabane,”  averred the secretary. She told the court that as an association, they guided the kombi driver to the rightful platform, however, he (kombi driver) organised others marshalls of the sister associations.

 

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