07 Aug 2016

The Ministry of Transport and Communication has decried high number of road accidents that claim valuable lives.

Acting deputy director, Mr Godwin Tlhogo revealed that from January to date,  266 lives had been lost due to road crashes as compared to 231 during the same period in 2015. It has been reported that 62 lives were lost in Maun.

He informed the gathering during the Transport Mini Pitso for the tourism sector where the department of transport and the tourism industry had a platform to engage in discussion that concern both parties.

He urged all to take precaution when driving and be on the lookout for wildlife, pedestrians and avoid over speeding and drunken driving as statistics indicated that these were leading causes of road crashes.

Mr Tlhogo appealed to all road safety partners and stakeholders to collectively join hands and employ different strategies that could reduce road carnages.

He asked tour operators to exercise care and responsibility when transporting tourists to ensure their safety.

He expressed frustration about some people who bribe his officers and informed the gathering that they intend to change the approach and engage police and Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime to take measures against culprits. 

Mr Tlhogo pointed out that corrupt officers worsened the situation because the vehicles would cause accidents as the drivers were given licences without undergoing necessary tests.

He urged drivers to bring their vehicles for physical inspection and also to report any sign of corruption to the law enforcement agencies.

Outlining the objectives of the pitso, Mr Tlhogo said the main one was to iron out issues between the tourism industry and the ministry for the smooth running of operations in the industry.

Other objectives were to identify and address challenges that hinder the tour operations with the aim of promoting tourism sector and also to engage government particularly his ministry on policies and legislations that were geared towards facilitating the sector . Mr Tlhogo explained that the ministry was doing all in its power to create a conducive environment for the tourism operators, noting they had resolved most of the issues from the past pitso.

Some of the issues resolved included the validity of road worthiness certificate for tour operators. It has been increased from six months to one year.

It has also been resolved that tour operators vehicles be exempted from carrying original documents of vehicle permits. 

They could produce certified copies of permits and that PRDP would no longer be required for drivers who were not carrying passengers or goods.

The gathering also learnt that the department of transport has started reviewing its two main legislations being the Road Transport (permits) Act (RTPA) and the Road Traffic Act (RTA).

However, some participants wanted to know what Maun police were doing to promote road safety in the village. 

Traffic officer, Mr Samuel Kgomo told them that they had intensified their operations. 

He explained that their analysis has indicated that most of the accidents were caused by human error due to alcohol.

He said 90 per cent of cases recorded were alcohol related, while some were due to over speeding and stray animals. In addition, he said accidents happened at night as most people would be returning from entertainment areas.

Some tour operators complained that at times the police stop the tourists vehicle for a long time while it is hot, but Mr Kgomo told them that the law does not discriminate, adding that every vehicle has to be stopped to check its  road worthiness.

“Our aim is not to punish, but to ensure safety to all and we always extend courtesy to our tourists because we understand the importance of tourism to our economy,” he added. ENDS