Story by Peter Chivhima
STAKEHOLDERS in Zimbabwe’s transport sector are calling for tougher penalties against traffic offenders as concern grows over rising road accidents and fatalities across the country.
The calls emerged during a transport sector symposium convened by the Tripartite Negotiating Forum in Harare this Thursday.
Participants raised concern over persistent traffic violations, particularly by pirate taxi operators in Harare’s central business district, warning that reckless driving and poor enforcement are endangering both motorists and pedestrians.
Representative of the Employers’ Confederation of Zimbabwe, Mrs Chiedza Chigombe, said stricter enforcement measures were needed to improve road safety.
“We need to enhance the use of road cameras and enforce immediate fines and strict measures. We also need to improve the way we train drivers and issue driver’s licences,” she said.
A representative from the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe, Mr Mahundi described the symposium as long overdue, citing alarming accident statistics.
“Our statistics related to road safety are not quite pleasing, so everyone has a duty to promote road safety awareness,” he said.
Mr Chinembiri said authorities should also focus on improving standards and safety compliance within the public transport sector.
TNF Social Cluster Chairperson Dr Maxwell Hove said the platform had brought together government ministries, transport operators, regulators and law enforcement agencies to identify causes of road accidents and recommend solutions.
“The statistics show that we are losing approximately 2 000 lives annually from road accidents and road crashes,” he said.
“We wanted to tease out the causes of this problem and come up with recommendations that can be submitted to Cabinet for implementation and policy direction.”
The discussions come amid growing concern over fatal road accidents, including the recent Harare–Nyamapanda Highway bus crash, which claimed 17 lives.
