Govt reluctant to stop public transport overloading - ZPA

Zimbabwe Passengers Association (ZPA) accused the government of failing to put measures to stop carnages along the country's high ways indicating that public transport operators continue to over load and travel at high speed while responsible authorities watch without taking action.

ZPA Secretary General Paul Makiwa said his remarks were stimulated by the accident that occurred on Sunday where six people died and 11 others were seriously injured in a kombi crash that occurred along the Robert Mugabe Highway in Harare.

Police said the accident occurred after the speeding commuter omnibus veered off the road, killing three people on the spot.

The deceased were identified as Setee Chashamba (44), Bautaza Marimo (40), Abelio Abel (43), Prosper Mudaviti (30), Edwin Mandipatsanga (44) and an unidentified male around 30 years of age.

The injured were admitted at Norton and Parirenyatwa hospitals.

Makiwa also said the accident of Tombs Motorways bus which killed three people on the spot while 13 others were injured when it hit by a haulage truck at the 72km peg along the Shurugwi-Zvishavane Road last week was also a test case of driver failing to take proper precautions to prevent such fatality.

The bus, which was coming from South Africa with 35 passengers on board, reportedly veered off the road and landed on its roof after its windscreen was ripped off by overlapping pipes on the truck. Four injured passengers were treated at Shurugwi District Hospital and discharged.

Six survivors are still admitted at the same hospital. Three critically injured passengers were referred to Gweru General Hospital. Makiwa said the laws enacted to control public and private transport were signed by President Robert Mugabe and it is the duty of the President's office to enforce those laws.

"There are the Road Motor Transport Motor Act, Vehicle Registration Act and the Traffic Act," he said.

"These laws were enacted by parliament and President Mugabe signed them. It is therefore the duty of the president's office which appoints the responsible ministries to oversee on those laws to enforce them."

Makiwa said the Minister of Transport Obert Mpofu was not enforcing the laws as mandated considering the continued overloading that occurs in kombis.

Makiwa said Mpofu's ministry is the first to be blamed as the sections of the law talks of passages on public transport. He said these passages are seen in the planes and trains but kombis do not follow that section of the law as they do not have such a passage.

Makiwa accused police of failing to enforce the law and engaging in bribery with drivers who pass through them at road blocks with the overloaded and faulty vehicles.

"The government must take measures soon before the travellers genocide get out of hand," he said.

"Accidents affect our economy and scares away tourists who feel safe when they are on airplane but feel not safe when on the roads because of escalating road carnage."