Aaron Gono
Before the rehabilitation of the Beitbridge- Masvingo – Harare highway into its current status; it was fashionable to blame the untrafficable condition of the old road as a death trap.
The road was narrow considering the high import of ex-Japanese cars into the country. The past years saw a high volume of unpredictable cheap Japanese cars getting into the country. Beforward was the source of getting the cars into the country. Zimbabweans with some extra cash to spend were always at the ports of Dar-El-Salaam in Tanzania.
These availability of more cars into Zimbabwe was also an advantage to its citizenry as many people could travel with their families at their convenient times. It also lessened the burden on commuters as transport fares became affordable and also traveling became faster. Also cons were witnessed as congestion and bad driving was normalized. In most urban areas; young adults became public transport drivers.
Although many Zimbabweans cheered the rehabilitation and completion of R1, some sceptics say the cup is still half full. They want spaghetti roads like in the USA or Germany. But to liberals we are almost moving forward as Rome was not built in a day.
As we witness more fatal accidents daily in this modern highway, we are now speechless and blameless as we cannot easily rush to blame the old potholed and narrow Harare- Masvingo highway of the old days.
Let me put these highway into 3 deadly phases.
First deadly phase stretches from Masvingo to Denise Kitchen ( Chivhu ), the second phase from Denise Kitchen to Featherstone, the last and third phase from Featherstone to Harare Golf Club. Remember the Masvingo Teachers College bus disaster, the Mvuma bus disaster, the late ministers Tsitsi Munyati and Border Gezi, the late Roman Catholic Bishop Paul Chiginya, all met their fate in phase one of the road.
Phase two of the road also claimed our security forces at Pimbi river, phase 3 also is noted for the fateful Mhunga bus disaster.
Still the carnage in R1 barely goes a week without witnessing a deadly accident. We thought accidents will be a thing of the past as the road is now wider and smooth but alas; the GD 6s, Ford Rangers, Range Rovers, Land Cruisers are now showing onlookers that these cars were made for speeding. Ordinary Zimbabweans call them “ndege dzepasi.” Unfortunately many drivers do not slow down when they reach crowded and busy business centres along this road.
This is also worsened by bad signage in this road. As this publication once highlighted that road signs from Masvingo to Harare were made from poorly treated poles; which make them a palatable food for ants. All road signs in this road are now flat on the ground. And we cannot blame drivers as all warning and regulatory signs are no longer telling them to exercise caution. Only few road signs remain standing as they have adapted and remain relevant to the cause.
Inexperienced and overzealous young drivers also contribute to this carnage. Touts are also a menace as they can drive ‘ mushika shika’ scouting for potential customers. The traffic police in urban areas, look to the other side.
Instead of apprehending these unlicensed drivers or warn them to stop the practice; they simply ignore this madness. If what the Minister of Transport said after the Chikozho bus disaster in Topora, Zano area ( Masvingo ), that police officers manning a road block allow a defective public transport to pass through it, resulting in an accident later, the officers will be held accountable. If this is rightly implemented, l think road sanity will prevail.
Constructing modern roads without enough security features like the police highway patrols, good signages and an efficient fire Brigade is just as good as sending young kids to war ( kutumira vana kuhondo). Vehicle Examination Department is also letting Zimbabweans down, please wear your old faces and stop saying ” Mbudzi inofura payakasungirirwa”.
You are our only last hope as most enforcers are AWOL. Guys like the late Chisoro of the Zimbabwe Republic Police Traffic (Masvingo ) needs to be emulated and born again. And also Maxwell of VED now based in Beit- Bridge needs to respected.
