ABSTRACT
The chapter focuses on how politics and power configure and destabilize informal public transport in the city of Harare, Zimbabwe. In particular, I argue that informal public transport provides an important constituency and resource for political actors. This is through the use and abuse of informal public transport workers as ‘militia’ to instil fear and garner political support in a city predominantly run by the opposition party. At the same time, the City of Harare was incapacitated to control and regulate informal public transport due to primarily two reasons. First, the City’s regulatory and institutional framework cannot sufficiently address the ubiquitous informalization in the city. Second, the ruling party was in charge of the informal public transport system as part of political struggles for the control of the city. The chapter further shows how predatory politics shapes the city’s informal public transport system. In this context, I explore how a politically controlled ‘mafia’ took over, controlled and managed bus termini in the city. The chapter concludes that power and political dynamics are fundamental in the planning and management of public transport in cities.
