Online Reporter
POLICE have arrested the driver and conductor of the kombi which burst into flames in Gweru last week, resulting in the death of seven pupils.
The kombi was carrying 24 children and that a container of fuel inside the kombi may have contributed to the deadly blaze.
We welcome the arrest of the driver and the conductor.
While the duo’s arrest may satisfy the immediate public demand for action, true justice requires a much broader examination of responsibility.
Kombi owners should not be allowed to escape accountability when their vehicles are involved in fatal incidents arising from negligence.
The transport industry operates on a simple principle: the owner is ultimately responsible for the vehicle and the conditions under which it operates.
Drivers and conductors are employees or agents acting on behalf of the owner. If a kombi is overloaded, poorly maintained, lacks safety equipment, or is being used in a dangerous manner, it is difficult to believe that the owner bears no responsibility whatsoever.
Too often in Zimbabwe, the focus is placed entirely on the driver and conductor whenever tragedy strikes.
Yet many drivers operate under intense pressure from owners who demand daily targets regardless of the risks involved.
In some cases, owners turn a blind eye to dangerous practices as long as the money keeps coming in.
When profits are prioritised over passenger safety, the seeds of disaster are planted long before an accident occurs. The Gweru tragedy should force authorities to ask difficult questions. Who owned the kombi? What safety standards were in place? Was the vehicle regularly inspected? Were there functioning emergency exits? Was there a fire extinguisher on board? Did the owner know that children were being transported in such numbers? These questions are just as important as determining the actions of the driver and conductor.
Holding owners accountable would send a powerful message across the transport sector.
It would encourage greater investment in vehicle maintenance, stricter oversight of employees, and a stronger commitment to passenger safety.
Owners would think twice before allowing unsafe vehicles onto the road if they knew they could face criminal charges alongside their drivers.
There is also a moral dimension to this issue. Seven families have lost children who had their entire lives ahead of them. Those children were entrusted to a transport system that failed them.
Accountability should extend to everyone whose negligence may have contributed to that failure.
Justice cannot stop at the people who happened to be behind the wheel on the day of the tragedy.
Zimbabwe has witnessed too many transport disasters where blame is quickly assigned to drivers while deeper systemic problems remain untouched.
This cycle must end.
Every stakeholder in the chain of responsibility must answer for their actions, including vehicle owners.
The Gweru kombi fire should become a turning point in the country’s approach to public transport safety.
The Gweru kombi fire should become a turning point in the country’s approach to public transport safety. If investigations reveal negligence on the part of the owner, then the law must take its course.
