Blue Circle buses licence suspension leaves 150 workers stranded
workers,management begs govt to uplift ban
Harare- THE suspension of operations at Blue Circle and City bus operator has seen more than 150 workers
stranded and failing to fend for their families.
Their licence was suspended on March 24 after allegations of violating road traffic and safety management resulting in a horror crash which claimed 13 lives and left scores injured along the Masvingo-Beitbridge Road.
The workers are praying for government intervention to rescue them from the economic quagmire since they have spent a month without pay and medical benefits.
One of the employees Rebbeca John said;
“I want to extend my deepest condolences to the families that lost their loved ones in the accident.
“I provide financial support to my grandmother for her diabetes and high blood pressure medications. “Having not been paid for the past month, I find it very difficult to continue lending a helping hand to my grandparents and siblings,” she lamented.
The company’s manager Ronald Chikondo appealed for the reconsideration of the suspension and begged authoritoes to lift the ban.
“We extend our condolences to affected families and thank the government for assisting us in the burials and medication of the injured.
“Our challenge now is we nolonger have money to pay the workers and they have famililes to take care of.
“We ask government to lift the suspension and we have been pushing the paperwork.
“When our buses are not on the road we get no income and we are now also not able to pay even local suppliers who gave us tyres,spares etc,”he said.
Transport minister Felix Mhona has of late cracked a whip on errant bus operators and has not hesitated to suspend licences for those found wanting.
One of the inspectors who identified himself as Matthew Chikurukuta had an emotional tale to tell on how the halting of operations has affected their livelihoods.
“I work as an inspector and its 10 of us meaning that the combined number of our family members can reach 60.
“We plead with authorities to be lenient and get the buses back on the road,”he said.
