40 people died in Heroes holiday accidents

40 people died while 139 others were injured in road accidents that were recorded across the country since the beginning of the Heroes and Defence Forces holidays.

The death toll was slightly lower than 43 deaths recorded last year.

139 people were injured this year down from last year's 189.

However, 232 accidents were recorded since the beginning of the holidays up from last year's 218.

ZRP Spokesperson, Chief Superitendent Paul Nyathi attributed the reduced number of fatalities to heavy police presence along the country's roads as well as the participation of other stakeholders such as the Vehicle Inspection Department and the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe, among others.

Chief Superintendent Nyathi said there will not be an immediate scaling down of police operations to ensure the public's safety.

Over 26 000 tickets were issued for various traffic offences while 294 vehicles were impounded for various defects.