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AT the weekend, we conducted a snap survey among Harare residents to hear their views about the lawlessness on our roads and streets.
This followed revelations from authorities that 25 people have died on our roads this month alone.
It has become very clear that rogue drivers are turning the country’s roads and streets in major cities into highways of death and our snap survey showed that many people want authorities to take back control of this jungle.
The Harare residents we spoke to said the time had come for the police to take decisive action and arrest the slide into anarchy on the roads.
One of them said all that was needed was the authorities to apply the weight of its full force to bring those who are spreading the chaos to account.
We know them, the reckless drivers, the owners who are only interested in profits and not the safety of their passengers and some crooked people, who are supposed to be enforcing the law but, instead, choose to look elsewhere.
One of the people we spoke to, Atanas Makombe, said the ball was in the court of the authorities and if they commit themselves to outlawing these monsters on our roads, order will be restored.
“A few months ago our streets were filled with forex dealers and they were everywhere but once authorities decided that this was unacceptable and costing our country in a big way, they took control and we don’t see them anymore,” said Makombe.
“This can be done on the roads and I can assure you that discipline will come back to our roads.
“We need to show these drivers that there is a big price to pay for their wayward behaviour, there should be examples, including seeing others going to prison.”
Police spokesperson, Commissioner Paul Nyathi, said the police were committed to tightening law enforcement, monitoring and evaluation of vehicles along highway checkpoints.
He said the police were imploring the public to be responsible on the roads.
Commissioner Nyathi said if certain vehicles pass checkpoints and people get injured as a result of negligence on the part of police officers, swift action will be taken.
This is quite reassuring and we need our law enforcement agencies to know that they will be held to account if they let public transport vehicles pass through checkpoints when they don’t have the necessary documentation to be on the roads.
The transport operators, who send their vehicles onto the roads, even when they are aware that such cars have a lot of defects, which endanger the safety of passengers, should also be brought to account for their part in the accidents.
We tamed the forex monster together as a nation because we saw that it was destroying our economy and making our lives very miserable.
Those who were caught in the act ended up spending months in remand prison.
This sent a powerful message to others that they could do all this at their own risk.
We need this to tame our traffic madness.
Online Reporter