The Government says it will soon introduce a new law to curb road traffic accidents that have killed hundreds of people so far this year.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona Mhona said that the Government will soon gazette a new Statutory Instrument on measures to curb the road carnage.
He said the law would ensure the right age requirement for bus drivers is met while fixing the maximum speed for buses, among other measures.
Mhona made the remarks in Dotito, Mashonaland Central province last week after visiting the scene of the CAG bus accident that claimed seven lives. He said:
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The law will make sure buses that are brought into the country are fixed in a manner that makes sure they do not go above 100km/hr.
We have excitable drivers who are also inexperienced and underage. We will address all this in our new law that is coming soon.
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Mhona also announced that the soon-to-be-introduced plastic discs will reduce a massive backlog of driver’s licenses. He said:
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It will be acceptable in 27 countries in and out of SADC. There is a code that shows everything about the driver and on the 19th of this month, there will be an official launch of the license. It will also reduce the making of fake driver’s licenses.
We had a backlog of over 600 000 driver’s licenses and this will ensure we bring this to an end. We were having problems with licenses.
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Zimbabwe National Roads Authority (ZINARA) board chairperson George Manyaya and his Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) counterpart Kura Sibanda accompanied Mhona to Dotito.
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

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Govt Mulls New Law To Curb Road Accidents

Police have released the names of six people who were killed in a fatal road traffic accident that occurred on 10 June 2023 in Dotito at the 181-kilometre peg along the Harare-Mukumbura Road.
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the six victims have been identified by their next of kin. They are:
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Romeo Nyapfere of Empowerment, Willovale, Harare,
Shamain Nyoka of Gorejena Village, Dotito, Mt Darwin,
Stella Chikadaya of Kabhareta Village, Kandeya, Mt Darwin,
Fackson Chiungu, a one-week-old infant of Kabhareta Village, Kandeya, Mt Darwin,
Kosva Nawero of Rujeko, Glendale,
Aurthur Nheta of Kararira Village, Chiswiti, Mukumbura
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Asst Comm Nyathi urged rivers to be safety conscious and regularly check vehicle tyres to ensure that they meet road conditions.
He also implored bus operators to ensure that public service vehicles do not exceed their stipulated load capacity to safeguard lives on the roads.
The accident when a CAG bus travelling towards Harare burst a front tyre resulting in the bus veering off the road to the left before overturning and landing on its right side.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Police Release Names Of CAG Bus Accident Victims

CAG Travellers Coaches says the passenger who was forced to drop off from one of their buses between Hwange and Victoria Falls at night had threatened to attack and stab the bus crew.
Video showing a man who had boarded the bus in Hwange to Victoria Falls being forced to disembark the bus by the crew went viral on social media, prompting the transport operator to comment about the incident.
The man had an altercation with the bus crew allegedly for not paying his fare and he was later forced to drop off at a Truck Inn along the way.
In a statement, the CAG Travellers Coaches management said the man was violent. Part of the statement reads:
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What we have gathered is that when the man boarded the bus, he did not pay his fare and it was only noticed during ticket inspections by the crew.
They then asked him for the fare but he became violent and even attempted to stab the bus crew with unidentified sharp objects that he was in possession of.
Fearing for their safety and of other passengers, the bus was later stopped and they decided to let him disembark from the bus and another altercation ensued. 
He was then forced off the bus at a Truck Inn along the way not in a bushy area as earlier reported.
We prioritise and value customer care and the safety of our passengers. We cannot have other citizens who violate the rights of others. At one time, one of our buses was once robbed and that is why we mostly consider the safety and security of our passengers.
We were not sure about the motive behind this man’s refusing to pay his fare.
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In December 2021, five armed robbers pounced on a CAG Travellers Coaches bus at the 325km peg along the Harare-Chirundu highway.
The robbers undressed all passengers before escaping with the clothes and US$19 050, R2 000, $690 and K1 137 in cash, and other valuables.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Passenger Forced To Drop Off CAG Bus At Night

The Passengers Association of Zimbabwe (PAZ) on Monday condemned the continued use of spikes by the Chegutu town municipal police.
In a letter addressed to the Chegutu Municipality town clerk, PAZ national coordinator Tafadzwa Goliati said the overzealous traffic officers were endangering the lives of citizens by their actions. Wrote Goliati:
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PAZ abhors the sheer abuse of authority by (town) of Chegutu traffic police through the use of spikes in their ill-perceived call of duty in the city as recently reported in a case involving a CAJ company bus along the Harare-Bulawayo road.
While we do not condone flouting road rules and other regulations, we strongly oppose the use of spikes to effect arrests as this puts the irreplaceable and valuable lives of passengers and other road users at risk.
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PAZ expressed its displeasure after the Chegutu municipal traffic police officers used spikes to stop a CAJ bus which was coming into Chegutu from Harare on 1 August 2022.
Chegutu municipal spokesperson Brian Nkiwane said the council does not encourage the use of spikes on vehicles in motion unless there is reasonable suspicion that the driver may escape. He said:
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We do not use spikes on moving vehicles, but only in exceptional cases when there is suspicion that the driver might escape, or when the vehicle is stationary.
No sane police officer would throw a spike at a moving vehicle, particularly a bus carrying over 76 passengers as is being alleged.
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In May this year, <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2022/05/20/declare-use-of-spikes-illegal-paz-pleads-with-high-court/">PAZ approached the High Court seeking a ban on the use of handheld metal spikes</a> by the police.
The court action came after four passengers died while eight others were injured in Mutare on 4 May 2022 after police officers manning a roadblock deployed handheld spikes in an attempt to stop an unlicensed kombi, causing it to overturn.
More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2022/08/transporters-raise-alarm-over-spike-throwing-cops/">NewsDay</a>

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