Online Reporter
THE current state of road safety in Zimbabwe is not merely a concern; it is a national disgrace. The recent, utterly avoidable deaths of a 44-year-old woman and a 14-year-old girl on Nketa Drive, mown down by a suspected drunken driver, are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a deeply ingrained culture of impunity on our roads.
This tragedy, alongside the devastating loss of Mr Silas Bhunu, a dedicated Zimpapers employee and father of three, killed by an unlicensed teenager joyriding in a stolen vehicle, lays bare the horrifying consequences of our collective failure to enforce justice.
The leniency of our courts is an insult to the victims and their grieving families. Handing down community service or paltry fines for culpable homicide, as seen in Mr Bhunu’s case where a mere 17-month prison sentence was deemed sufficient, sends a chilling message: that human life in Zimbabwe is cheap. This is not justice; it is a travesty. How can we expect a deterrent effect when the consequences for ending a life are so negligible? The disparity in sentencing, where a Harare driver receives an effective two years for reckless driving against oncoming traffic, while a life-taker gets less, is an indictment of our judicial system’s inconsistency and lack of resolve.
We must look to other nations for examples of how to treat such egregious offences. In countries like Australia, particularly in states like Victoria, causing death by dangerous driving can lead to sentences of up to 20 years in prison, with minimum non-parole periods. In the United Kingdom, causing death by dangerous driving carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, with judges having the power to impose lengthy custodial sentences. These are not just numbers; they represent a societal understanding that taking a life through reckless disregard on the road is a grave crime deserving of severe punishment.
The proposed Government measures for tougher penalties and a demerit system are a welcome, albeit long overdue, step. However, these cannot remain mere proposals. Parliament must act with immediate and uncompromising urgency to enact legislation that mandates custodial sentences for all road traffic offences resulting in death, especially those involving alcohol, excessive speed and unlicensed driving. The judiciary, in turn, must shed its historical timidity and align its sentencing with the true value of human life, ensuring that punishments are not only consistent but also unequivocally reflect the irreparable harm caused.
Zimbabwe’s roads have become death traps, and every lenient sentence is a betrayal of our citizens. The time for tolerance, for polite suggestions, and for inadequate responses is over. We demand laws that are not just firm but brutal in their honesty about the cost of negligence. Justice for those lost on our roads must be swift, decisive and uncompromising, serving as a stark warning that the sanctity of human life will be protected with the full, unyielding force of the law.
We have said it over and over. Police is good at talking, Government is even better at talking and the communities are good at turning a blind eye. Drivers are part of us, we are the commuters who overload these unroadworthy vehicles, our children and fellow fathers are the drivers. So who are we pointing fingers at? Have we ever seen communities demonstrating against bad driving by boycotting the vehicles? Have we ever seen communities picketing at the Minister of Transportation’s or Police Commissioner General’s offices to demand action against errand transport operators? Are we not the same commuters who encourage these drivers to flout traffic regulations? Why then make noise when things go wrong?