The Chronicle leads in traffic safety coverage

Whinsley Masara Chronicle Reporter
THE Chronicle has won the prestigious Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) annual media award for the best print media house for the second consecutive year.
The awards ceremony was held last Friday in Harare.
The Chronicle Editor, Mduduzi Mathuthu, said he was proud of the paper’s achievement ahead of other media houses.
“We’re really grateful and proud to win this very important award for the second year running.
“Unacceptably, high numbers of deaths and injuries continue being recorded on our roads daily. Advocacy on the part of the TSCZ and information, which the media publishes, are critical in helping to improve public safety on the roads. It is a role we’re dutifully very proud to play at The Chronicle and it’s quite gratifying to be recognised for it,” said The Chronicle Editor.
B-Metro photographer, Fortune Mazarabani scooped the best photojournalist award while The Chronicle’s chief photographer Eliah Saushoma was the first runner up.
Former Chronicle intern, Oswell Moyo, a final year journalism and media studies student at the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) scooped the managing director’s road safety student reporter of the year first runner up award while Whinsley Masara, the paper’s intern was the second run-up in that category.
The Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Engineer Michael Madanha, who was the guest of honour, said The Chronicle won because of its wide and extensive reportage associated with enforcement of traffic laws.
“We are pleased with the consistency of reporters on the reportage on road safety. We hope they continue to conscientise the public on traffic safety so that we reduce road carnage to zero. Road traffic collisions and the resultant deaths, injury, property damage and subsequent psycho-social, economic and physical suffering are unacceptable at all costs,” said the Deputy Minister.
Madanha said the media fraternity was affected too by road deaths and injuries.
He offered free defensive driving courses to all journalists.
“What makes journalists more susceptible to road crashes is the inherent nature of their duties. Before news is produced it is gathered. The gathering of news involves movement from one point to the other either being driven or driving.
“The circulation of print news also entails distribution of newspapers across the breath and length of the country. This distribution inevitably uses road transport,” said Eng Madanha
“The tragic death of 31-year-old ZBC News Reporter, Thulani Miga, on January 5 is a very sad case of a traffic accident”.
The Deputy Minister bemoaned the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents which he said were on the rise.
“This is surely unacceptable. Prompt action must be taken. The sanctity of human life must be preserved. A single death is one too many.
“The media have a role to play in as far as the taming of the traffic jungle in Zimbabwe is concerned. The jungle behaviour of some road users, unlicensed drivers, and the condition of our roads, the human error causing road crashes, traffic congestion and any rot associated with enforcement of traffic laws must be reported in order to inform the public,” he said.