‘Jail for errant drivers’

The Sunday News

Four people died on the spot last night when their Honda CRV vehicle collided with a train in Emganwini, Bulawayo. They were driving towards Emganwini while the train was travelling from Botswana to Bulawayo. According to witnesses, the driver of the vehicle attempted to cross the railway line ahead of the train, ignoring the train’s warning hoot resulting in the accident

THE Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs is in the process of reviewing the Road Traffic Act, a move that will see deterrent penalties including long custodial sentences being meted out to errant road users, Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.
Addressing thousands of people at the Africa Safety Day National Commemorations at Mkoba Stadium in Gweru yesterday, Acting President Mnangagwa said the ministry was lobbying for lengthy mandatory custodial sentences for errant road users.

The Africa Safety Day National Commemorations that were the first in the country were held under the theme: “Towards Enhancement, Implementation of the African Plan of Action Measures for 2011-2020 Road Safety Decade of Action.”

“I am still responsible for the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs so we are looking at the act tirikuongorora mutemo iwoyo kuti tiwedzere makore (so that we give custodial sentences to errant road users),” he said.

“Deterrent penalties must be meted out to errant road users. If stocktheft courts a minimum sentence of seven years imprisonment, why should a driver killer be fined a mere $100 and get away with murder. Road carnage destroys lives, limbs and property hence it is an enemy of economic growth.”

Acting President Mnangagwa said the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in conjunction with Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development were in the process crafting modalities to mainstream road safety into the national schools syllabi.

“I am enthused to hear that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and that of Transport and Infrastructural Development and the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe is now considering the modalities on how best road safety should be mainstreamed into the national schools syllabi. As a case in point is the death of six primary school pupils in Zvishavane in a preventable road crash last month which was very sad and unfortunate,” he said.

“In Zimbabwe, about five people are killed on our roads everyday while approximately 38 persons are injured. According to the Zimbabwe Republic Police, a total of 1 692 people were killed on our roads last year. This was a slight improvement over the previous year which was recorded 1 787 deaths due to road carnage. Although there was a slight decrease, the number of deaths is shocking.”