Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, a network of civil society groups in Zimbabwe has expressed deep concern over the continued loss of lives through traffic accidents saying funds raised from police road blocks should be channeled towards road rehabilitation.
Following a terrific accident that claimed 15 lives in Bulawayo last week, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, (CIZC) has urged the government to take action and maintain roads to avoid accidents.
“We are appalled by the state of roads in Zimbabwe. We note with sadness that 15 people have lost their lives within two weeks in Bulawayo due to potholes.
“This comes at a time when the police are mounting roadblocks everywhere and anywhere. Motorists folk out millions of dollars to ZINARA every year and yet the state of the roads still leaves a lot to be desired,” reads part of the statement.
CiZC accused the government and ZINARA of being concerned about collecting money from motorists at the expense of maintaining roads for the safety of the people.
“We contend that central government is more concerned about the state of cars and not the state of the roads. We call upon the government and its institutions such as ZINARA and local councils to urgently attend to the state of the roads and reduce the tirade against motor vehicle owners whose cars are subjected to wretched road conditions.
“The government must allocate more resources to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. Roads such as Nkayi road are an eyesore 37 years after independence. The government must immediately attend to the Nkayi Road, the Tsholotsho Road and roads in most of the country’s urban areas. ZINARA must be transparent on how finances which are collected through vehicle taxing and tollgates are distributed,” noted CiZC.
CiZC believes modern infrastructure is essential in driving economic growth, something that has been missing in the country adding that reliable transport system facilitates easy movement of goods, people and services across sectors of the economy by linking the country to local, regional and international markets.
