Africa-Press – Nigeria. TRANSPORT and Infrastructural Development minister Felix Mhona has revealed that Zimbabwe witnesses five deaths per day and in excess of 2 000 deaths per year in road traffic accidents amid concerns over an increase in unroadworthy vehicles and reckless driving.
Mhona made the remarks during the question and answer session in the Senate while responding to Matabeleland South senator Nonhlanhla Mlotshwa last week on Thursday.
Mlotshwa had asked Mhona what reforms are planned to ensure fitness tests are credible and corruption free given the increase in road accidents and the presence of unroadworthy vehicles on Zimbabwe’s roads.
In response, Mhona said the government was concerned about the number of accidents being witnessed on the roads, especially those resulting in fatalities and even injuries, given the size of the population of the country.
“On average, we are witnessing five deaths per day and per year we are in excess of 2 000 and you wonder,” he said.
“I have been talking to my counterpart, the Minister of Home Affairs, to say that as much as we are manning our roads, at times you wonder that soon after a block, you hear that the bus or a commuter omnibus which would have passed through a manned roadblock has been involved in an accident.”
He added: “If we check for documentation, that bus will not be having proper documentation.
“So, we have agreed that going forward, we will not take it lightly and even President Emmerson Mnangagwa, reiterated the point for us taking charge of making sure that we enforce measures on all our roads.”
Mhona said the police and the Vehicle Inspectorate Department should make sure that if accident happens after a bus passes through a manned roadblock, the officials should be held responsible.
“However, we have seen that wherever you involve the human element, there is the issue of connivance and the only mitigatory measures that we can have, we talk of the advent of the gadgets that you are talking of, monitoring in terms of cameras where you try to reduce issues related to the human element,” Mhona said.
“I am happy that Home Affairs is championing that programme, where we are having the traffic management system on our roads where we will be having cameras.
“As we speak, we have also procured breathalysers to augment in trying to make sure that we have sober drivers on our roads.”
He said the exercise was ongoing, adding that more than 90% of the accidents witnessed on our roads are attributed to human error.
“We are saying yes, the people of Zimbabwe, whenever we are driving, we must take cognisance of the fact that life is so precious and we must preserve it,” the minister said.
“We continue educating people through the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe so that we uphold the dictates of our road rules whenever we are driving.”
In a supplementary question, Mlotshwa asked when the government will launch a public online vehicle fitness verification system so that citizens can confirm which vehicles are certified roadworthy.
“I am grateful that whenever we are putting laws, the laws actually come from this very important House,” Mhona said.
“I am happy I am seated next to my counterpart who handles the issues related to technology and will pursue them vigorously so that we employ some of these latest technologies to man our roads and I continue to work on that.”
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