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The ZRP has distinguished itself as a professional force and should not allow the few rotten eggs within its ranks to tarnish its otherwise good reputation. The decision by the force to fire the officers and make the information public is highly commendable. Those that dare continue to engage in corruption are doing it at their own peril because it will not be long before the long arm of the law catches up with them. The force is spending a lot of resources to deploy officers along the highways in a bid to tame the traffic jungle but at times these resources are wasted by officers who fail to enforce the traffic rules and regulations opting to be paid bribes.

It is these officers who are partly to blame for the increased carnage on our roads especially during public holidays like the just-ended Christmas holiday. These officers turn a blind eye to unroadworthy vehicles, overloaded buses and even drunken driving. A total of 143 people had by Thursday morning been killed in road accidents since the launch of the police festive season campaign period on 15 December meant to educate motorists and members of the public on the importance of observing traffic rules and regulations.

Most of the accidents were due to human error which means they could have been avoided. One of the accidents in which 18 people were killed in Manicaland has been blamed on the failure by police to enforce traffic regulations. The people who died were among the 64 people who were packed in a containerised truck and the truck was coming from Harare on its way to Hauna in Manicaland.

This truck should have been stopped at the first road block from Harare and passengers ordered to disembark but surprising it went all the way to Manicaland with passengers packed like sardines and we strongly suspect the driver bribed his way through the many roadblocks. Zimbabwe cannot continue to lose precious lives to accidents that can be avoided. The police are doing all within their powers to rid the force of corrupt officers that are sacrificing the lives of passengers for as little as $10 paid as a bribe to pass through a roadblock.

The police, we have said it before, cannot be expected to cover every inch of the highways so the onus is on the travellers to assist the police officers in enforcing traffic rules and regulations. It is the passengers who must ensure the bus or vehicle is not overloaded, the driver is not speeding and is not drinking while behind the wheel. It is a passenger’s right to demand to be dropped off if he or she is not comfortable with the driver’s speed and the passengers should not hesitate to report offending motorists at the nearest roadblock or police station.

Today many people are heading to different destinations for the New Year holiday and we want to once again appeal to motorists to exercise caution so that we reduce the carnage on our roads. Motorists should plan their journeys and avoid speeding. They say it is better to arrive late than never. We do not want to witness another bloody New Year holiday.