via 500 000 vehicles unroadworthy: Mpofu | The Herald November 25, 2013 by Tendai Rupapa
MORE than 500 000 vehicles countrywide are unroadworthy, while the same number of drivers are not licenced, a situation that has resulted in fatal road carnages, a Cabinet minister has said. Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Obert Mpofu said Vehicle Inspection Department officials would continue mounting roadblocks in conjunction with the police to make sure that all unroadworthy vehicles were impounded to bring sanity on the roads.
He was speaking at the commemoration of the 35 Dzivarasekwa accident victims, most of them vegetable vendors who died on March 7, 2007 on their way to Mbare Musika, after a commuter omnibus they were travelling in was hit by a train at a railway crossing.
“According to our assessment, over 500 000 vehicles are not road worthy thereby exposing other motorists to danger, leading to loss of lives,” he said.
“As a Ministry, we are liaising with other stakeholders to ensure that we come up with a legislation that will put an end to the carnage on our roads. We want discipline on our roads, therefore motorists should adhere to required traffic safety rules.
“We are looking into it, we are actually coming up with measures that will make it very difficult for those drivers who misbehave on our roads and we are serious and this is going to be very soon. The Government is not going to fold hands whilst the unwarranted wanton distraction of lives carries on.”
Minister Mpofu said that penalties which were being passed by the courts on negligent drivers were not deterrent enough.
He said road traffic deaths and injuries were to a greater extent preventable if all road users exercised due care.
“The ministry has started taking corrective action to stabilise and reverse the accident trend by coming up with a strategic plan on road safety in order to achieve measurable national targets,” said Minister Mpofu.
“The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe, with legal backing, and to which Government is striving to provide adequate and sustainable financial and material resources, will ensure the achievement of the target.”
Minister Mpofu said his Ministry identified all the black spots in the country and corrective action was being taken on some of them.
He said on the Nyamaropa-Nyanga Road, the black spot at which 89 lives of pupils from Regina Coeli Mission were lost in 1991 has been corrected by putting rubble strips and improving the sign-age. In an interview Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe managing director Mr Obio Chinyere urged motorists to be cautious on the roads, especially this festive season.
One of the Dzivarasekwa accident survivors, Ms Neria Chandaita who sustained a fractured leg said life has never been the same after the accident.
Ms Chandaita said that she used to depend on vegetable vending, but now it was difficult for her since she could not walk properly due to the injuries.
An unemployed Ms Loveness Mubawu who lost her husband in the accident said she was struggling to make ends meet since she was left with six children.
COMMENTS
YOURS OK, DR MONEY! ZILLIONNAIRE
I guess Shebah will insist that Zimbabwe is still wealth with all those cars on the road – even if they kill people!
Dear Honorable Minister,your plans are not really dealing with the route causes of the carnage on our roads. I suggest you put an end to corruption at the driving tests department because thus where road dangers start,whereby driving licences are given to unqualified people after bribes are paid.If you are serious about it check the life styles of your workers in that department compared to their monthly salaries minus their spouses incomes.Its very easy to tell who is corrupt and looting at any work place if minor investigations are done by clean people not some of our corrupt policemen.Why do we have 500 000 unroadworthy vehicles on the roads with so many road blocks?You know the answer to that-corrupt police officers as stated by their boss a few weeks ago.He stated that police were forced to corrupt tendencies due to low salaries.Do not waste your time with new regulations when existing ones cannot be implemented, deal with corruption,then everything will follow suit and improve the carnage on our roads.
I totally agree with Dr Mpofu about the urgent need for interventions on our roads to reduce the carnage.One of the most essential step is to change the attitudes of ‘drivers’coz several of the accidents are avoidable.A first step cld be to enforce all combi drivers to enrol for a PR course because judging by their reactions on the roads one would think they were born and raised by the same mom.Instalation of road cameras cld be very effective.Law breakers will then be easily identified and arrested.The other very careless lot are the small pirate taxis.They stop or park anywhere even if there is a bend with continuous lines.Where I live, Matopos road has become very dangerous especially in the morning rash hours. Most pirate taxis plying this route are said to be owned by police officers hence their drivers feel protected.My third point is about the requirement of an annual roadworthy certificate for all vehicles older than 10 years provided the responsible ministry does not exploit vehicle owners by overcharging.
Minister, you talk of unroadworthy vehicles as if there are any roads. How can the cars survive all those potholes
As long as the police are fully prepared to “turn a blind eye” to unroadworthy vehicles in exchange for a small bribe, so long will Zimbabwe have unroadworthy vehicles and unlicensed drivers.
So Mr Mpofu, if you are prepared to talk about corruption in the police, then you might make some headway. Of course, the police might also want to talk about corruption in the Ministry of Mines, and perhaps Mr Mpofu might not be so keen on that.
This is just another Zanu PF minister huffing and puffing in the wind to impress his boss.
Maybe the roads are un-vehicleworthy.
Surely Mpofu you know where the problem is, don’t waste our time filthy thief!
Vehicle population in Zimbabwe is claimed to be less than 1 000 000 (1million). the figure of .5million vehicles being unroadworthy is far fetched. its not true.