TWENTY-SIX precious lives have been lost as a result of a fatal bus accident that took place on Sunday morning along the Harare-Nyamapanda Highway.
A perusal of the list containing names of the victims reveals the majority were juveniles from Mutoko and Harare who perished when a Pioneer bus reportedly side-swiped a Zupco bus at the 35km peg along the Harare-Nyamapanda Highway.
According to police spokesperson Charity Charamba, 10 of the deceased had not yet been identified as they did not have identification records on them.
Charamba went on to advise motorists to avoid speeding and driving defective vehicles.
Indeed this is yet another tragic disaster which has caused unnecessary loss of life due to the country’s dilapidated highways.
As part of measure to minimise road carnages, we appeal to the police to maintain a heavy presence on the highways instead of setting up roadblocks in cities and townships.
There are dangerous motorists on the country’s highways who take advantage of the absence of police to flagrantly violate driving rules and regulations.
Many a time citizens have witnessed bus and heavy trucks being driven at breakneck speeds on the highways without police taking any notice.
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In fact, it is suicidal to drive on the country’s highways particularly at night for private motorists due to the uncouth behaviour of some bus, truck and omnibus drivers.
But if the truth be told the Zanu PF administration should be held accountable for some of the carnage on major highways.
For the past three decades it has been neglecting the country’s roads and highways resulting in the virtual collapse of our tarred road network.
As a result of this perennial neglect, there is virtually no tarred road in the whole of Zimbabwe that is not littered with huge and dangerous potholes.
The country’s highways have been converted into death traps on which thousands of commuters lose their lives year in and year out yet the administration collects thousands if not millions of dollars every day from tollgates.
The regime has indicated it plans to introduce 32 more tollgates in the country’s roads at a time the Zimbabwe national Roads Authority is accused of corruption.
