When you come to Douala, don’t be surprised to see a policeman brandishing a cane or lash to discipline a mototaximan. In this town of more than 150,000 mototaximen (usually called benskineurs), it is a common scene at the crowdy junction of Bessengue and Ndokotti.
“They are such a nuisance. Only lashes can dissuade them. But, their passenger is also hit in the process”, a resident said. He also added that only a Douala resident can understand the nuisance those mototaximen are.
Mathias, another resident, informs that once, the soldiers guarding the Wouri bridge were obliged to flog the mototaximen who were stubbornly going through a one-way street. Sometimes, these mototaximen beat a police officer to get revenge.
Let’s note that their increasing number is due to the high unemployment rate.
M.N.M.