Online Reporter
Chief Reporter
More than 50 roadblocks, manned by officers from multiple road safety agencies, have been set up on Zimbabwe’s major highways as part of a nationwide campaign to address speeding, use of unroadworthy vehicles and overloading during the Christmas holidays.
Under the campaign, being spearheaded by the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ), officers from various law-enforcement agencies have been deployed to undertake thorough inspection of public service vehicles at long-distance bus termini to certify their roadworthiness, proper loading and compliance with safety standards before they depart.
As part of the campaign, 16 mobile road safety units using police motorcycles and patrol vehicles have been deployed and tasked with monitoring observance of speed limits, flushing out overloaded vehicles and verifying whether drivers have valid certifications and permits.
Additionally, 36 static roadblocks have also been strategically positioned along major routes, where officers are conducting comprehensive vehicle inspections to enforce road safety regulations.
Launched last week, the 2024 road safety awareness and enforcement campaign has brought together key agencies such as the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), Vehicle Inspection Department (VID), Central Vehicle Registry (CVR) and the Road Motor Transportation (RMT) department.
The agencies are working collaboratively to ensure strict adherence to traffic laws and safety standards, a development expected to curb road carnage over the holiday season.
In an interview, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Permanent Secretary Ambassador Raphael Faranisi said the Government was ready to tackle road traffic violations.
“We have mobilised sufficient resources to ensure there are adequate police on the roads to check for compliance with traffic laws,” he said.
“Deployment will extend to residential areas to maintain peace and order and also to border posts to counter transnational organised crimes.”
The campaign comes against the backdrop of grim road traffic accident numbers this year.
Between January and September 2024, a total of 39 461 road traffic accidents were recorded, marking an 8 percent increase compared to the 36 628 accidents reported during the same period in 2023.
The number of fatal accidents also rose slightly, with 1 169 incidents recorded over that period, compared to 1 130 last year.
Tragically, 1 532 people also lost their lives in these accidents, a significant increase from the 1 373 fatalities reported in 2023.
In an interview, TSCZ managing director Mr Munesu Munodawafa said: “This festive season, the campaign focuses on two critical pillars: awareness and enforcement.
“The TSCZ is primarily responsible for raising awareness by educating drivers about the importance of road safety.
“However, enforcement has taken a more prominent role this year, with multiple regulatory agencies working together to ensure compliance with traffic and safety regulations.
“The ZRP is a central enforcement body in the campaign.
“During the launch (last week), over 50 unroadworthy vehicles were pulled off the roads within two hours, demonstrating the seriousness of the initiative.”
He said, as part of the multi-agency approach, the police have been tasked with ensuring that drivers adhere to traffic laws, while the VID will conduct thorough checks on vehicles, with unroadworthy ones being removed from the road.
The RMT department, he added, will verify the authenticity of documentation used by public service vehicles such as insurance, while the CVR will authenticate driver’s licences and defensive driving certificates.
“We have introduced new high-tech scanners that are being used to authenticate these documents and check the validity of insurance papers displayed on vehicles,” continued Mr Munodawafa.
“This technology streamlines the verification process, ensuring faster and more reliable checks.
“So, all the four agencies will be at one roadblock where they will be operating in a coordinated way.
“A total of 52 teams have been deployed nationwide, including 36 static teams and 16 mobile units.
“The mobile units, comprising police motorcycles and patrol cars, focus on monitoring highways and addressing issues such as overloading.
“The enforcement teams will cover all major highways, with some routes having multiple checkpoints to ensure thorough monitoring.”
The Passenger Association of Zimbabwe (PAZ) urged travellers to prioritise safety by using registered transport operators.
PAZ national coordinator, Mr Tafadzwa Goliati, warned against using unregistered transporters, citing increased robbery cases.
“We are encouraging passengers who will be travelling this festive season to use registered transport operators as these can be held accountable through their various organisations,” he said.
“There has also been an increase of reported cases of robberies committed by non-registered transporters, so passengers are advised to board registered transport vehicles only.”
Similarly, the Greater Harare Association of Commuter Omnibus (GHACO) pledged to monitor its members through patrol vehicles during the festive season.
GHACO chairperson Mr Ngono Katsvairo, called on operators to ensure their vehicles meet all safety and regulatory standards, including the possession of defensive driving and medical certificates.
“All our operators are urged to ensure their vehicles have requisite operating papers including but not limited to certificates of fitness, speed limiters and passenger insurances,” he said.
“The drivers must also have their defensive driving and medical certificates.
“We have also invested in patrol vehicles and personnel which will be deployed in the ranks and on the routes we ply to track down unruly drivers.
“We are also on the lookout for drunk and reckless drivers and urge our drivers to follow all road rules and regulations.
“We urge the TSCZ to ensure their teams have drunk driving test kits and breathalysers to rid the road of the dangerous drunk drivers.”
