Tanaka Chare
As Zimbabwe prepares for Heroes and Defence Forces holiday, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has initiated a road safety campaign nationwide to ensure public safety on the roads.
The ZRP, Officer Commanding Midlands Province, Commissioner Partson Nyabadza accompanied by senior police officers, the Traffic Safety Council, Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) and Gweru United Transport Association (GUTA), conducted an exercise at Chiundira turn off whereby they were educating drivers and passengers on road traffic accident safety awareness.
Commissioner Nyabadza urged drivers, passengers, motor vehicle owners and pedestrians to ensure road safety due to the alarming number of accidents across the country recently.
“We come with heavy hearts, in the backdrop of recent high numbers of road traffic accidents across the country, where lives were lost. Cases that quickly come to mind are the Seke Road heavy truck and a commuter omnibus tragedy which claimed 17 lives on 22 July 2025, the Mberengwa turnoff head-on collision of two trucks which claimed two lives on 3 August 2025, and the Goversberg bus and truck accident near Hunters Road, Kwekwe- Gweru Road, which claimed two lives on 25 July 2025.”
” The issue of road safety affects everyone as motor vehicle owners, drivers, passengers and indeed pedestrians always make up the victims. In the few road traffic accidents I mentioned above, most lives which were lost are those of passengers. As such, we all should play a part in nurturing safe road use practices.
“That is, by driving safely, if you are a driver and admonishing drivers for bad driving conduct whenever it happens in our view. In short, I say each one should play their part. As police through analysis and investigations of Road Traffic Accidents, it is observed that a majority of them are caused by human error. The following may help our drivers and they are also offences under the Road Traffic Act Chapter 13:11.”
George Mauru, who is the Chief Vehicle Inspector, Midlands Province emphasized that routine campaign and vehicle checks should be done especially on major holidays.
“It is always our theme to come out and aware the public whenever we have major holidays. It is a routine campaign and vehicle checks so that we verify if the vehicle is carrying passengers with care. We have lost lives of late, and accidents are on the rise.
We are urging citizens to come together, it is not only ZRP or VID’s duty, we are in this together. Let us drive to stay alive and we hope we are going to have an accident-free holiday or at least minimum casualties.”
The regional manager of the Traffic Safety Council, Georgina Mateta added words of encouragement to drivers and travellers.
“We are looking forward to a safe holiday. We are urging the public to desist from overloading and passengers have the right to refuse to board public transport. We also encourage travellers to desist from allowing drivers to overspeed. We wish everyone would get there in one piece and not in pieces.”
The Gweru United Transport Association chairman, Richard Mudzinga says, “We have noticed that during the festive season, some commuter bus operators use unregistered vehicles and break the road rules. Customers should travel with vehicles that are registered with us and report to us if the driver was speeding or overloading. We are going to do a vehicle check on our registered commuter buses. We plead to the police so that they have alcohol tests for drivers so that they may reduce accidents on the road. We are going to put stickers and contact details on vehicles in our association so that passengers can give us feedback or report issues.”
