adminOne of the operators is reportedly operating a bus that has been condemned 37 times this year without repairing it.
In an interview yesterday, the deputy manager of the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) in Bulawayo, Mr Exevier Dzimba, said scores of long distance buses are “death traps”, as a majority of them do not have brakes and are driven by unlicensed drivers.
He said operators whose vehicles had been condemned, usually took them from the VID on the pretext of going to effect repairs but put them back on the road without doing so.
“It is no wonder we continue having accidents that kill many people every year. About 75 percent of the buses we inspected since 15 December had no brakes, were driven by under-age or unlicensed drivers and did not have fitness certificates or insurance,” said Mr Dzimba.
He showed the newscrew about 10 buses that were impounded, which were in a shocking state of disrepair.
“This bus has been given 37 RT 16 Forms, which are orders that it should not be on the road, as it has serious defects,” said Mr Dzimba pointing at a Majahana Tours bus, whose registration number is ABZ 3375.
He said the bus did not have brakes, was overloaded and was being driven by an under-age driver among other faults.
According to Statutory Instrument 168/2006, drivers of public transport vehicles should be at least 25 years old.
He said when the bus was impounded on 24 December, about 40 km along the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road, the passengers wanted to assault VID officials.
“They threatened to stone our vehicle, when we were probably saving their lives. Some of them lay down in front of the bus to stop officials from driving it away. They said all they wanted was to get home. Passengers that we try to protect sometimes fight us and later complain when their relatives die in accidents,” he said.
Mr Dzimba pointed at a Golden Motorways bus registration ABB 3412, which he said had been condemned 17 times but was still on the road.
“This bus does not have brakes. Its suspension is worn out and the steering system is loose. It emits exhaust fumes into the interior where passengers would be. The bus has no reflectors and the lights are unfocused, which makes it invisible to other road users at night and dazzles other motorists when the lights are on,” he said reading from a long list of defects.
He said bus owners were to blame for most accidents, as they seemed to be just after passengers’ money.
“We want to take most of these bus owners to court because it seems the $50 fine they pay when we condemn the vehicles is not deterrent enough.”
He urged passengers to protect themselves by checking on the windshield, if the bus has a certificate of fitness, vehicle insurance and passenger public service vehicle insurance, to ensure they can be compensated in case of an accident.
The area manager of the Bulawayo VID, Mr Timothy Tonderai Nyakudyano, said passengers could play an important role in safeguarding their lives by refusing to board buses that do not display the documents.
“The problem is that most people view enforcement of laws meant to protect them as harassment. I think we should spread awareness to the public about our operations so that we work in harmony to stop the carnage on our roads,” said Mr Nyakudyano.
He said a majority of the unroadworthy vehicles serviced the Nkayi route.
Contacted for comment, the Majahana Tours operator, Mr Majaha Dube declined to comment.
“I have been to my lawyer and he says you should not publish the story. You guys get into trouble by publishing things that you do not have facts about. I will tell my lawyer to personally call you,” said Mr Dube, when he found this reporter unyielding.
The Golden Motorways representative could not be reached for comment as the landline was continuously engaged.
The Vice President of the Motor Industry of Zimbabwe (MIAZ), Mr Reggis Sibanda, yesterday applauded the VID.
“If they have started considering taking repeat offenders to court, then it is a good thing. Some of these buses are being driven by inexperienced youngsters who panic and cause accidents. I think police should also have technical people at roadblocks to assist them in removing unroadworthy vehicles from the roads,” said Mr Sibanda.
Other buses that were impounded by the VID included Dokotela, Zulu Tours, Temptation, T&H, Vote Maphosa and Joma Vehicle. At a traffic police anti-corruption awareness campaign in Bulawayo on Thursday, stakeholders alleged that police officers took bribes to let unroadworthy vehicles pass at roadblocks.
Others said the seriously defective ones used back roads to avoid roadblocks.
Seven traffic police officers were fired for corruption in the country this year, while 23 are facing disciplinary action, as police step up measures to stamp out the vice.
This year, the number of people killed in road accidents in the country have dramatically increased from 80 last year, between 15 to 28 December to 150 for the same period this year.
Online Reporter