A Fairly Civil Disorder

I was in Livingstone again yesterday visiting the bank. I was paying the next instalment on the new High School furniture and in the interests of economy I went in by bus.

I was surprised to see on alighting from the bus, police in riot gear squatting on the backs of pick-ups and patrolling up and down the main streets. Had the turmoil in the Middle East now reached Zambia, I wondered?………. Not quite.

At 0930h there was still a tense atmosphere in town, and the noisy altercation was being observed from a distance by engrossed spectators, offering commentary on the proceedings despite the occasional whiff of teargas wafting through the air; a vain attempt by the police to disperse bus conductors, drivers and taxi operators who had blocked town centre roads in protest against a rumoured rise, in various fees and fines by the police and Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA).

As I passed the Post Office the Police were somewhat prematurely and optimistically starting to remove stones and other street debris that had been used by the protesters to block the roads in the town centre. The Livingstone Police, unlike their Mongu colleagues, thankfully only fired tear gas at the mini bus and taxi drivers. This resulted in retaliation by the protesters with rocks being thrown and rolled to block the road, and a tirade of insults and catcalls launched at the Police, prompting bystanders to scatter and take temporary shelter in less exposed areas. Things were now getting serious; even business at the Zimbabwe Market in the town centre came to a standstill.

Meanwhile officials at the RTSA office denied knowledge of any hikes in fees, saying the agency was still charging ‘old prices’. The police then asked the drivers who had gathered along the main street, Mosi-Oa-Tunya Road, to disperse and go back to work as this was an illegal assembly but that the Government would address their concerns.

It was a blessing that that common sense prevailed in the end and no-one to my knowledge was beaten by truncheons nor was any police officer hit by stones. Irene and Dorothy both have relatives who are women police officers in Livingstone.

A by-stander informed me, as we crossed the road together, on the way back from the Finance Bank, that the main gripe was the cost of renewing PSV licence, the fees were to be increased to K1 million (GBP140 or US$220) from the previous charge of about K200,000 (US$45 GBP30). There were also loud complaints from two taxi drivers behind us that the Livingstone Police allegedly pursue and fine motorists unnecessarily to help supplement their low pay. No other city in Zambia it is said is subjected to the same number of ephemeral roadblocks mounted by the Livingstone Police within the city limits.

Taxi drivers the world over are an opinionated and independent-minded group of people. Zambians are no different. Most drivers that we have met are decent and honest family men, very willing to help and trying very hard to scrape a living in order to feed, clothe, house and educate their family. The drivers are not usually the owners of their vehicle and competition for trade is stiff, so life is not easy. They are also expected to raise a minimum amount each day for the owner. The proposed rises were unreasonable and would have been almost impossible to meet. Some street wit suggested because it is election year and because of all the trouble caused, it looked like RTSA (a Government Agency) was ‘decampaigning’ the MMD, the ruling party!

As regards Livingstone City Council charges, apparently taxi drivers were paying K2,000 (45c or 30p) per day while mini-bus drivers were still paying K5,000 per day with large long distance coaches paying K80,000 per trip. These charges have not increased for some time.

It all seemingly ended later in the morning with the Southern Province Permanent Secretary Gladys Kristafor asking the Ministry of Home Affairs to direct the police and RTSA to revert to old fees charged to motorists.

Business was back to normal as we left Livingstone on 1430h bus to Mwandi.

*Decampaigning – a Zambian English neologism meaning to campaign against political opponents.