We have to take action against road carnage, says Majome

Harare West MDC-T legislator Jessie Majome has urged the government and local authorities to take urgent action to sort out the sorry state of roads which have claimed a lot of lives in the country.

This was after the death of a member of her constituency Washington Mandebvu in an accident.

"I am saddened that a Harare Westerner - Mr. Washington Mandebvu was tragically and avoidably killed in a head on collision along Lomagundi Rd between Girton Rd and Drayton Ave, when a commuter omnibus driver tried to overtake when there was oncoming traffic and rammed into the deceased's car. May his soul rest in peace. I went to extend my condolences to his family before they left to bury his remains in Mutoko. I am also upset that the ambulance and police rescue services arrived an hour after the horrific crash," Majome said.

"I visited the accident site because a business proprietor who works near that stretch of Lomagundi Rd alerted me of the fatal crash and the high accident area, with collisions happening every week, and summoned me to the site. I thank the business owners for such compassionate social responsibility In fact it was one of the business owners there who alerted me of the fatal accident. I noted that out of the 4 small tributary roads Girton, Ely, Fordham and Drayton which connect directly to the busy and curving Lomagundi Rd, only Girton (Stop sign) and Fordam(Give Way sign) have road signs, while there are no speed limit signs."

She said road signs are needed to alert drivers to lower their speed, as well as placing Stop signs on all the feeder roads and grid lines must be strategically placed.

"Last year in Parliament I pinned down the Ministry of Roads to gazette the new SADC standard road signs so it doesn't have an excuse anymore not to sign out roads. The Lomagundi highway is very busy as it links Harare West suburbs of Bluffhill, Sunridge, Westgate, Good Hope to the CBD. It also links Harare with other towns i.e. Chinhoyi and Kariba. The traffic police should enforce the law at death traps like this instead of being a resource mobilisation unit of government," Majome said.

"While I was still at the site I witnessed reckless driving by the Kombis which blocked traffic already in the highway and vehicles turning into the main road. On either side of Loma gundi on that dangerous section of road is a primary school - Hallingbury School (on the Greencroft side) and Avonlea School (on the Avonlea side), and we must make it safe for young learners to cross the road. The pedestrian crossing repainted at my insistence is now faint due to poor quality paint and is a death trap all of its own. I understand that police officers erratically assist at the crossing. I will continue pushing and also ask for community volunteers to help school children cross."

She said apart from following up prosecution of the errant combi driver (if he survived) she is going to engage the Harare City's Traffic Department, again, the Traffic Safety Council, the and the police for solutions.

"I will also ask the Minister of Transport to respond to my motion for him to restore car licence revenue to Harare from ZINARA so it can afford to maintain our roads and therefore make them safer.  Bad policy decisions by the Executive arm of government are killing us! -on and off our roads," she said.