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Cde Obert Mpofu

Oswell Moyo Chronicle Reporter
PUBLIC transporters who flout traffic regulations during the festive season risk losing route permits and licenses, Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister, Cde Obert Mpofu, has warned.

The warning comes after 123 people lost their lives to road crashes in the 2013/2014 festive season.

A total of 265 people died during 2012/2013 at the same period.

Cde Mpofu said his ministry would not hesitate to cancel route permits for drivers who are constantly caught on the wrong side of the law.

“An operator who has been issued with an operator’s licence and route authorities has obligations to comply with the law. She/he is obliged to provide services authorised in terms of the Route Authority. My ministry will not hesitate to cancel route authorities for those operators whose drivers disregard the sanctity of human life,” said the Minister in a statement yesterday.

He added that police officers in conjunction with the ministry would be on the lookout for drivers who overload their vehicles or drove under the influence of alcohol.

Cde Mpofu said: “I would like in particular to appeal to operators of public service vehicles, as well as private motorists, not to use defective and unroadworthy vehicles. In this respect I want to advise would-be offenders that the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Vehicle Inspectorate Department will be on lookout for defective vehicles throughout the holiday.” The nation has lost 1,340 people during road crashes in a period between January and October this year, a decrease of about 20 percent from last year’s figures which stood at 1,695 deaths.

“Zimbabwe is fully committed to the United Nations declared ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety’ which envisages a reduction in road traffic deaths by 50 percent by 2020. Indeed, we can reduce road deaths in Zimbabwe by 50 percent, or even better, if we all play our part,” reads part of the statement.

Two months ago, two people died on the spot while 74 were seriously injured when the bus they were travelling in veered of the road and overturned landing in its roof.

Police sources said the bus was overloaded when the driver failed to negotiate a narrow bridge along the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road