Mpumalanga Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Vusi Shongwe has called on freight and transport companies to hire competent drivers in an effort to minimise road carnages in the provinces.
Speaking during his department’s stakeholder meeting in White River yesterday, Shongwe said trucks, buses and taxis were the common vehicles which claimed more lives when involved in accidents.
He said some of the drivers did not have experience in driving big vehicles and commuting people. He said some drivers were hired simply because they possessed the driving licenses.
The MEC urged the companies not only check the roadworthiness of their vehicles but should also ensure the drivers’ capabilities.
“It is useless to have a road worthy vehicle if drivers are not competent enough because most accidents are not caused by vehicles which are not roadworthy but it is usually human error by non-competent drivers.
“Drivers must be fit and should be able concentrate when driving until they reach their destinations,” said Shongwe.
He added that drivers should ensure road safety as their number one priority.
He law enforcement officers should arrest drivers without licenses and impound vehicles which are not road worthy.
“It is not the responsibility of government alone to ensure road safety, it is everyone’s business. We are tired of these accidents, they are painful and they are costly to government. Let us all do something about them.
“While we understand that at a certain stage of our lives we are going to die, we will however not rest until these accidents have stopped perishing our citizens,” said Shongwe.
Meanwhile, one of the stakeholders from the Driving Schools Association, Mr Stanzo Tshikobele told the MEC that the driving schools did not get enough attention from government.
Tshikobele said as an association, they wanted to be involved on government’s road safety campaigns because they were solely responsible for transferring driving skills.
He added that driving schools needed to have regulations which they would all follow in ensuring that they produced good drivers.
“We always encourage people not to buy drivers’ licenses but to get legal documents from the testing stations through our driving schools,” he said.
Among other comments that were raised by the stakeholders were that, attention should also be paid to pedestrians as they also contribute to accidents.
The stakeholders also called on the MEC to build overhead bridges to assist pedestrians cross busy roads.
Enquiries:
Zibonele Mncwango
Tel: 013 766 4018
Cell: 079 491 0163
Source: Mpumalanga Department of Safety, Security and Liaison
