United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Road Safety, Mr Jean Todt, held a follow-up meeting with Zimbabwe’s Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Honourable Felix Tapiwa Mhona at the Ministry of Transport offices in Harare today.
Special Envoy Jean Todt expressed his admiration for the commitment shown by Honourable Mhona and President Mnangagwa in ensuring road safety for all Zimbabweans.
“I am impressed to see the passion and commitment of Minister Mhona and His Excellency President Mnangagwa to speak about road safety.
“We all know that it is a killer particularly in the African continent.
“And I call that a silent enemy because all of us we are vulnerable on the road and we don’t speak enough,” said United Nations Envoy.
Mr Todt emphasized the crucial role of driver education in safeguarding lives, highlighting its importance in fostering safer transport systems.
“The importance of education as the Minister mentioned is that education is essential because we build the future generation of road users.
“Law enforcement is also a very essential factor and there is a big margin of improvement on the African continent.
“We need to pay attention to the value of drivers licenses.
“So, a driving license is not a simple exercise, it has to be a very structured way of understanding, how to behave and how to drive the vehicle,” he said.
During a press Briefing, United Nations Envoy Mr Jean Todt underlined the significance of wearing safety helmets to prevent injuries among road users.
“We have a United Nations safety helmet properly ventilated according to the safety standards of UN at an affordable price below 20usd.
“The biggest cause of road injuries are drugs and alcohol consumption, so we need to fight that because inattention makes the road more dangerous.
“Implementation is essential and I encourage organizations to work closely with the government, the private sector, media and influences.
“We need to convince people and explain the risks of not behaving properly on the roads,” he said.
Minister Mhona mentioned that the meeting was a follow-up to their previous discussion in Geneva, highlighting the ongoing collaboration and commitment to road safety.
“We have been meeting through road safety under the UN in Geneva and you find that apparently we are actually grateful as a Nation.
“Finally, Mr Todt has decided to do a follow up meeting to make sure that we are implementing what we agreed in Geneva.
“The idea behind is, in as much as we have rehabilitated our roads, we also enhance issues to do with safety but alas having good roads in some instances people tend to speed resulting in fatalities and injuries,” he said.
He added that, “What is of paramount importance is what we have done as a country since our last engagement regarding the road safety issues where we have tabled a paper before the cabinet.
“I will also present the same paper to the cabinet committee on legislation, where we are trying to harmonise our laws that are fragmented in terms of road safety.
“What is exciting is we also want to see how we can strengthen the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe as a recommended agency.
“Above all the Road Accident Fund has been topical to see how we can enhance and make sure that it is supported,” said Hon Mhona.
Among the attendees at the meeting were TSCZ Managing Director Munesu Munodawafa, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport Eng. Joy P. Makumbe
Also present was World Health Organization representative team leader for Zimbabwe’s Health Care Population Cluster, Dr. Trevor Kanyowa, demonstrating the collective effort and support for improving road safety in the country.
Story by Farirai Mutumburanzou
