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THE Vehicle Inspection Depot and the Central Vehicle Registry will soon be commercialised under new reforms to reduce road carnage, Transport Minister Dr Obert Mpofu said yesterday. Dr Mpofu said tough short-term measures which would result in some public transport operators pulling off the road during this festive season, were being crafted.
He said the country could no longer afford witnessing the high number of accidents that have been witnessed during previous festive seasons and the situation would be different this time around.
Minister Mpofu was speaking in Harare at a conference organised by the Coach and Bus Operators Association to discuss challenges faced by the sector. The event was also attended by Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Minister Francis Nhema.
Dr Mpofu said corruption at the VID and the CVR was reflected in the high number of road traffic accidents after defective public vehicles were allowed on the roads after officials received bribes.
“Just go to VID and see the chaos that is there and the chaos breeds all sorts of negatives like corruption, favouritism,” he said.
“You go to CVR, there is a lot of chaos and the chaos is reflected on the road.
“The issue of commercialisation of some our institutions such as CVR and VID are issues that we have been talking about since I came to the ministry. My officials are seized with that and I have told them to present a paper on how best it can be achieved.”
Minister Mpofu warned that the Government would be tough on the short-term measures to be announced soon to deal with the road carnage that normally accompanies the festive season.
Errant public transport operators who failed to work within the law and endangered passengers’ lives would be adequately dealt with in the envisaged crackdown.
“I can unilaterally deal with these issues, but I believe in consultations,” he said.
“I should have acted on most of these, but I said let me talk to you first. But where I have consulted, I will be able to make reference. Let’s have specific solutions and I will act on them.
“My call to you as operators and drivers is to make this coming holiday accident free. It is possible, but it is only achievable if each and every Zimbabwean makes a conscious decision to exercise caution on the road this festive season.
“As a ministry, we bank on your sense of national service and corporate responsibility to do your business legally, morally and ethically.”
Minister Mpofu said the conference by the bus operators came at a time when he was about to implement the policy measures that were meant to bring sanity on the road.
Speaking at the same event, Minister Nhema said it was unfortunate that it had to take a conference and Government ministers to remind public service transport operators on basic issues that they should know better.
“Need he (Minister Mpofu) remind you how precious lives are?” he said.
“Is it the duty of a politician to remind you that you don’t kill people on the road? Is it his duty to remind you that your vehicle must be in good shape, should he call upon you every year to test you on your responsibility? No it’s not.
“It must not take a conference of this magnitude to talk about basic things.”
Police Deputy Officer Commanding Traffic, Assistant Commissioner Daniel Chimwaza, said there would be increased presence of police details to curb road carnage ahead of the festive season.
Road traffic accidents claimed 180 lives during the festive season last year, while 901 others were injured in 1 128 accidents that occurred countrywide.
In 2011, 88 people died during the same period and 754 others were injured in 1 058 accidents, while 83 people died and 978 others were injured in 994 accidents in 2010.
Online Reporter