The ongoing crackdowns, arrests, and fines hitting e-hailing drivers on platforms like inDrive stem from a glaring legislative mismatch. Zimbabwe has yet to introduce a dedicated, modern national legal framework tailored for smartphone-based ride-hailing apps. Instead, municipal authorities and law enforcement rely on archaic public transport and local bylaws written long before smartphone apps existed.
Treating modern app-based operations as unlawful under legacy rules is fundamentally flawed, a legal overreach that prominent lawyer and advocate Fadzai Mahere has publicly challenged on X (formerly Twitter). Because the state and city councils are forcing a square peg into a round hole, drivers continue to face unwarranted victimization while navigating a legal vacuum.
1. The Legal Framework Being Used Against E-Hailing
City councils (such as the City of Harare) and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) rely on a combination of national acts and local bylaws to target e-hailing operators:
- The Road Motor Transportation Act [Chapter 13:15] & Regulations: This national law governs public service vehicles (PSVs). Under this framework, any vehicle carrying passengers for hire or reward must possess specific commercial permits, route authorities, or operator licenses. Because e-hailing vehicles carry paying passengers without traditional PSV badges, permits, or council-approved color schemes, they are deemed illegal PSVs.
- The Road Traffic Act [Chapter 13:11]: This governs general vehicle…
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