80 passengers packed in just 2 kombis meant to ferry, at most, 36 people… Latest arrest shows this cancer is widespread
Eighty passengers, including 77 pupils and three teachers, have been packed into two 18-seater kombis, in the past 11 days, leading to the arrest of two drivers.
This means that the two kombis were overloaded by a staggering 44 people, including 41 pupils.
One of the two kombis, which was impounded by police yesterday after a driver packed 35 pupils and three teachers, did not have a passenger insurance and a Certificate of Fitness. The driver Kumbulani Tauzeni, 42, was arrested and did not produce a defensive driving license and a medical certificate.
The owner of the kombi is yet to be established but the latest incident is likely to pile pressure on authorities to also deal with the owners of the vehicles.
Tauzeni was making his daily school run from Fidelity suburb to Kudakwashe Primary School in Glen Norah B, using a Toyota Hiace kombi.
Harare provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Luckmore Chakanza, confirmed the arrest.
“Police in Harare have taken action against a commuter omnibus driver for overloading passengers and operating an unroadworthy vehicle.
“On February 23, 2026, at around 4pm, authorities received a tip-off regarding an unroadworthy public service vehicle overloaded with pupils running from Fidelity to Kudakwashe Primary School.
“A follow-up inspection was conducted on February 24 at approximately 6:10 am, leading to the interception of Tauzeni’s vehicle at the corner of Fidelity and Amalinda.”
During the inspection, it was discovered that the vehicle was carrying 35 pupils and three teachers.
“Investigations are ongoing,” added Insp Chakanza.
On February 13, Minister of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, Tino Machakaire, stopped a kombi which was packed with 42 pupils.
“Yesterday I stopped a kombi that ferries school children and what I saw honestly unsettled me,” he said in a statement on his social media platforms.
“It was carrying 42 learners in a vehicle meant for 13 passengers.
“Forty-two children, someone’s whole world, squeezed into one small kombi.
“All I could think about were the recent tragedies in South Africa, where school transport accidents have claimed the lives of more than 20 learners.
“Those are not just numbers. They are families changed forever. It made me wonder how easily that could happen to any of us. “
He added:
“What disturbed me even more was that the vehicle was almost allowed to leave a manned roadblock without consequence. From the outside, it already looked unroadworthy. You did not need to be an expert to see that something was not right.
“As parents, we trust that when our children leave home for school, they will return safely.
“As school authorities and law enforcement, there is a duty of care that cannot be taken lightly. This is not about blame. It is about responsibility. I do not have all the solutions, but I know we cannot normalise this. We cannot look away. These are our children. Their safety is not negotiable.”
Minister Machakaire received widespread praise for his intervention. *_-H-Metro_*
