01 Dec 2022

Botswana Police Service has promised to be more visible this festive season.

Speaking at this year’s remembrance of road accident victims in Matshelagabedi on Wednesday, Senior Superintendent, Member Machola said their presence would be felt in and around liquor outlets to fight drunken driving.

Senior Superintendent Machola said they would mount sporadic road blocks near drinking outlets to conduct spot breadth tests, to reduce drunken driving, which he said was one of the major contributory factors to road fatalities in Botswana.

He revealed that 56 people had lost their lives in 34 crashes in the northern division from January to-date, citing the Mafungo/Hubona junction horrific accident, in which 16 people lost their lives.

Furthermore, he explained that 46 and 44 people lost their lives in 38 and 39 road accidents recorded in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

He said other causes of road traffic accidents were risky behaviour by road users, which included speeding, driver misconduct, inexperienced driving and stray animals.

Giving a keynote address, commercial manager at Kwa Nokeng Oil, Mr Obonetse Fulu said road crashes had a heavy economic cost and derailed government plans to develop Batswana.

Mr Fulu said it was important for everyone to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries to boost the economy, which move would result in substantial long term income gains in Botswana.

He said the country was continuing to lose the productive workforce, especially the youth, through road crashes.

He said another cause of road accidents was strayi livestock on major roads and appealed to government to take action against the owners.

Mr Fulu said it was disheartening that Botswana was now experiencing more train accidents than before, citing an example of the recent train accident in Gaborone that killed three people.

He urged motorists and pedestrians to be extra vigilant this coming festive season by obeying road safety measures.

Two road accident victims shared their experiences with the hope that it could drive change and consequently reduce the impact of road trauma.

One of the victims, Ms Jennifer Bhebe, who sustained a permanent fracture in the left leg, explained that the accident that happened to her in 2014 destroyed her future plans as a trained electrician.

“I could be somewhere in life if it was not for this accident.

My profession requires the use of both legs, but I cannot do that because I am surviving with one leg,” she added.

She therefore appealed to those who would be joining their families, relatives and friends in the coming festive season to consider using public transport as opposed to hitchhiking and as well as to buckle up.

Another victim, Ms Olebile Ditsele, who lost her son after being knocked by a vehicle in 2016 was too emotional to complete her story. ENDS