Online Reporter
ZIMBABWE was plunged into mourning again on Tuesday following the death of 17 people in a road traffic accident at Manyame Bridge near St Mary’s Police Station in Chitungwiza.
A 30-tonne haulage truck and a commuter omnibus collided at the bridge resulting in the death of 17 people who were all in the omnibus.
In May this year 12 people died on the spot when a fuel tanker collided with two other vehicles on the Harare-Bulawayo Highway near Sebakwe River in Kwekwe.
In February, again this year, 25 people were killed when a bus and a haulage truck collided near Luthumba Tollgate, 25km from Beitbridge Town. Seventeen people died on the spot while eight others died on admission to Beitbridge District Hospital.
This carnage on our roads cannot be allowed to continue and there is therefore an urgent need to tame the traffic jungle which continues to claim innocent lives.
A total of 4 069 people were killed in road traffic accidents last year alone which was a 93 percent increase from the 2 104 killed in 2023. These are very disturbing statistics which call for urgent measures to reduce road traffic accidents on our highways.
President Mnangagwa has said there is an urgent need for the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to implement the Electronic Management System to curb the road carnage which has been on the increase over the years.
“The high rate of indiscipline on our roads, which has resulted in the loss of countless lives due to road carnage, is disturbing. I call upon all Zimbabwean citizens to respect the country’s traffic laws and co-operate with the law enforcement agencies,” said President Mnangagwa.
Following the Chitungwiza accident, President Mnangagwa said the time has come to raise the stakes against guilty parties.
“The cost of bad behaviour on our roads must simply outweigh whatever bizarre benefits those responsible believe they gain from reckless driving,” he said.
President Mnangagwa has directed all Government institutions involved in traffic enforcement and the courts to align on this matter so that the bloody spiral on the country’s roads is brought to an immediate end.
He said the country cannot continue to lose lives due to sheer recklessness and persistent gaps in law enforcement.
President Mnangagwa said most urban roads have seen heavy presence of pirate vehicles, commonly known as mushikashika and have been a menace for their notoriety in flouting traffic laws, thereby contributing to the increased road accidents.
The Chitungwiza accidednt was allegedly caused by a Honda Fit operating as a pirate taxi which encroached onto the lane of the haulage truck forcing the truck driver to swerve and in the process lost control, resulting in the collision with the commuter omnibus.
According to statistics, 80 percent of road traffic accidents in Zimbabwe are as a result of human error which means they can be avoided.
