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Tendai Rupapa Senior Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S tourism sector is poised for growth, thanks to the birth of a new organisation geared to professionalise the public transport sector and curb road carnage which has resulted in loss of life and limb.
The National Transport and Drivers Association (NTDA), a brainchild of Mrs Jotina Matanhire, its founding president, aims to prioritise driver improvement programmes, grooming and better conditions of service as key factors towards uplifting attentiveness among drivers.
NTDA will lobby for the participation of women in the public transport sector and commit to rehabilitating drivers and touts to promote road safety.
Mrs Matanhire said the overall focus of the association was to make driving on the roads much more pleasant and civilised for everyone through “concentration, consideration, coordination, communication and courtesy”.
First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, who was appointed patron of the association yesterday promised to promote road safety and professionalism in the transport sector.
“I am much more thrilled by the fact that NTDA is gender sensitive and is actively championing the participation of women drivers in public transport. I can imagine the marked increase in customer care and drop in road traffic fatalities if we were to wake up tomorrow to find all commuter omnibuses and buses being driven by women,” she said.
The First Lady said the birth of NTDA could not have come at any better time as it is a milestone towards professionalising driving of public transport with a view to preserving the sacredness of human life by avoiding errors.
“I am fully aware that touting for passengers and pirate transport is illegal in our country. However, fighting running battles with them might not be as effective as we imagine. I share the same sentiments with NTDA of rehabilitating all our drivers and also to rehabilitate touts into professional rank marshals and conductors,” she said.
“I also feel that drivers and rank marshals should have uniforms and name tags for easy identification. Even when one is to commit an offence, he or she can be easily identified.
“This initiative also helps tourism because tourism starts with the drivers from the way they interact with tourists when they provide transport.
“It is key for our drivers to be groomed and have good deportment for the benefit of the country’s tourism sector by not using abusive language and striving to boost the image of the country.”
The First Lady said curbing road carnage augurs well with the Second Republic’s championing of Vision 2030 which seeks to develop the nation into an upper middle-income economy.
Economists, she said, estimate that Zimbabwe loses an average of US$406 million annually due to road traffic deaths, injuries and property damage.
“There is need to roll out training workshops to promote road safety and this will make usage of our roads much more pleasant and civilised for everyone. I also urge all drivers in Zimbabwe to unite and be part of this national movement of drivers which aims to professionalise driving, lobby for the betterment of the conditions of service for drivers and above all reduce road accidents,” Amai Mnangagwa said.
Minister of Transport, Communication and Infrastructural Development Joel Biggie Matiza, in a speech read on his behalf by Engineer Theodius Chinyanga said women participation in the transport sector could make a huge difference, emphasising on the need for continuous training of drivers.
Online Reporter