By Evans Dakwa
In the wake of the horror accident on Seke road’s Manyame Bridge, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has registered his displeasure with the wanton recklessness by road users particularly drivers which continue to cause loss of lives.
In his press statement in which he declared the accident a national disaster, the president hinted on plugging gaps in law enforcement on the country’s roads through harsher penalties.
” We cannot continue to lose lives in this most horrendous way due to sheer recklessness and persistent gaps in law enforcement on our roads. The modest returns on measures we have relied upon, to date, to restrain bad conduct by road users, all to bloody outcomes, must now make way for new and more robust measures which deliver results,” said the President
” Once worked out, these new, strong measures must be applied and enforced across the entire gamut of our institutions concerned with lawful and responsible road use, and should be enforced without fear or favour. Time has now come to raise the stakes against guilty parties: The costs of bad behaviour on our roads must simply outweigh whatever bizarre benefits those responsible think they derive from reckless driving.”
As part of the response, the President has directed responsible arms of Government to find ways that will deter waywardness on the roads.
” My directive is to get all Government institutions concerned with traffic enforcement, and our Courts, to be properly aligned on this one matter so this seeming endless, yet avoidable bloody spiral on our roads is brought to an immediate end. How many more lives do we need to lose for our consciences to be aroused?”
Zimbabwe’s road carnage has been worryingly on the increase with several horrific accidents being recorded in the 7 months up to July including the Beitbridge Urban Connect bus and truck, the Dzibarasekwa turn off one I loving a kombi and a truck, the recent Kwekwe one involving a truck and a Nissan Ad Van vehicle and the Manyame Bridge one involving a kombi and a truck.
Interestingly, the common denominator in these accidents are trucks.