A POST published on social media by a verified X user @ZwVoice claims that Harare mayor, Jacob Mafume, warned against allowing tricycles (commonly known as keke) in the city to prevent it from “ending up like Nigeria”.
The post made on 10 September 2026, with caption reads:
“We will not allow keke/tricycles in Harare,” says Hararwe Mayor, Cllr Mafume, warning that the capital could end up like Nigeria.”
As of 14 September 2026, the post has garnered over 33,000 views, and more than 250 likes.
The claim also surfaced here and here.
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CLAIM
Harare mayor Councillor Jacob Mafume stated that tricycles would not be allowed in Harare and warned that the capital could end up like Nigeria.
FINDINGS
Attributing the statement that Harare could “end up like Nigeria” to Zimbabwe’s mayor could create a misleading impression of tension between Zimbabwe and Nigeria. If made by a senior Zimbabwean official, such a remark could be perceived as disparaging towards Nigeria and potentially trigger public backlash or diplomatic concerns. However, findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.
A detailed review of the video footage and its accompanying audio shows that, while Mafume addressed the council on urban transport regulations and municipal policy in Harare, Zimbabwe, he did not mention Nigeria or its transportation system.
The FactCheckHub also submitted the audio for translation using Turboscribe. The resulting translation made no reference to Nigeria or any comparison with the country’s transportation system.
The translation reads: “But what we might not allow, and what we will not allow, is the tricycles that are used by passengers. The tricycles will not be allowed in Harare. But in-drive food delivery, grocery delivery, we have given them a moratorium of three months. The moratorium is directed.” The FactCheckHub observed that Mafume spoke another language other than English Language, inspections showed no mention of Nigeria in the audio.
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A reverse image search conducted on keyframes from the video led to a post by the Facebook account Zimbabwe Trending, which shared the footage without linking it to Nigeria. The same video was also posted by Dandaro Online on Instagram, also without any reference to Nigeria.
VERDICT
The claim that Harare mayor Jacob Mafume warned that Harare could “end up like Nigeria” over the use of tricycles is MISLEADING. A review of the original video shows that Mafume made no mention of Nigeria and did not compare Harare’s transport system with Nigeria’s during his address.
Seasoned writer and literary curator, Zainab Abdulrasaq is a factchecker for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached on IG @blackbookishgirl or zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org
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