By Gracious Nyathi
Harare East legislator Tendai Biti urged the minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Felix Mhona to revise and put in place strict driving laws.
Biti’s remarks come after six students from Tynwald High School perished in an accident, when the school bus they were travelling on overturned at the 70km peg along the Nyanga Road.
According to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) the accident occurred at 1900hrs.
Speaking in parliament last Tuesday Biti insisted that a new driving regime would bring back sanity on the road.
“We want the Minister to ensure that there is a revolution, a revising of the Highway Code so that we have a strict regime of driving, driver qualifications, retesting and a points system.
“A lot of these road traffic accidents are happening due to negligence. Unlicensed drivers, drunken drivers, speeding drivers, tired and exhausted drivers and unfit vehicles are on the streets,” Biti said.
Furthermore, Biti attributed road accidents as one of the leading causes of mortality in Zimbabwe.
“Road accidents are now so numerous in our country such that they have now become the third highest killer of persons in our country after non-communicable diseases, Tuberculosis and then road traffic accidents” Biti said.
Concurrently, Glenview North legislator Fani Munengami accused police officers for contributing to road accidents.
“The policing aspect of roads also needs to be revisited. Police officers are also among people who are causing some of these accidents”.
Earlier this year the ZRP conducted a blitz against commuter omnibuses and pirate taxis. They threw spikes at the vehicles and this caused accidents which claimed lives in numerous cities.
However, the Passengers Association of Zimbabwe (PAZ) filed an appeal in 2021 against a High Court judgment empowering the police to use spikes when dealing with errant motorists.
Unfortunately, the High Court ruled against PAZ.
Again, the Traffic Services Commission of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) 2019 report reveals that the police liberally take bribes. Road traffic offenders expect and offer bribes freely therefore unlicensed drivers ply the road unhindered.
According to the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), review report on road safety in the country, Five people die every day on average because of road accidents in Zimbabwe.
Moreover, the World Health Organization (WHO) Road Safety Performance Review 2022 reveals that Zimbabwe has the highest road crash mortality rate in Southern Africa.
