By Chantelle Muzanemhamo
The government has officially suspended the operating license of Urban Connect Holdings (Pvt) Limited following a tragic bus accident that resulted in the deaths of 25 individuals.
This devastating incident, which involved a head-on collision with a haulage truck, took place last Thursday 13 February, on the Beitbridge-Masvingo highway.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona announced that Urban Connect’s license would be on hold for six months. During this suspension, all of the company’s buses will be prohibited from operating on Zimbabwean roads.
The decision to suspend the license was made after investigations revealed that the bus involved in the accident did not possess a valid Passenger Insurance Policy or a route permit. Furthermore, the driver was found to be non-compliant with required retesting procedures.
“The above violations by the bus operator are a serious breach of the terms and conditions of the operator’s licence issued to the company for it to operate in Zimbabwe. Informed by the foregoing violations, I have directed the Commissioner of Road Motor Transportation to invoke provisions of Section 17(b)(i) of the Road Motor Transportation Act [Chapter 13:15] and suspend, with immediate effect, Urban Connect (Pvt) Ltd from operating all its omnibuses in all routes for a period of six months as we investigate further,” he stated.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of negligence and non-compliance with essential safety measures, such as having a valid Passenger Insurance Policy and ensuring that drivers meet mandatory testing requirements.
Stricter enforcement of these regulations is essential to prevent future tragedies and to protect the lives of all road users.
The public have been questioning the government’s commitment to road safety as it seems there is a lax on enforcement of requisite statutes which are critical in enhancing road safety. The bus was found to have been speeding yet there is a an SI from the Ministry which requires installation of speed limiting devices. The same bus successfully passed several road blocks from Harare all the way to Beitbridge raising further questions on the sincerity of the police, government to enforce laid down rules on the road. The compromise in standards and quality , ultimately led to the demise of 25 potential bread winners.