Zimbabwe President Directs Agencies to Coordinate Road Safety After 24 Deaths

President Emmerson Mnangagwa directed government departments and agencies responsible for road safety to coordinate efforts to reduce fatalities on Zimbabwe's roads. The directive followed three major accidents in five days that killed 24 people, including a head-on collision between a bus and a haulage truck on the Gokwe-Kwekwe Road that killed 10.

Mnangagwa ordered authorities to accelerate the revival of road maintenance units across the country and to provide resources for rehabilitation of weather-damaged highways and roads. He also called for interventions targeting reckless driving and unroadworthy vehicles.

"This grave turn of mishaps on our roads must exercise our collective conscience and spur Government Departments and Agencies involved in ensuring road safety to act with urgency and greater coordination so the carnage is stopped," Mnangagwa said. "The latest spate of accidents calls for drastic measures and lasting solutions targeting irresponsible behaviour and un-roadworthy vehicles on our roads," he added.

Zimbabwe has recorded a surge in fatal road traffic accidents in recent years. Poor road infrastructure, speeding, human error and unroadworthy public transport vehicles have been identified among the major causes.