The
main
concern
for
Zimbabwe’s
driving
instructors
is
not
teaching
the
highway
code
to
their
students
but
making
sure
they
“survive
some
of
the
world’s
deadliest
roads”,
said The
Associated
Press.
In
2024,
the
country
recorded
more
than
2,000
deaths
from
road
traffic
accidents
and
more
than
10,000
injuries,
according
to
the Traffic
Safety
Council
of
Zimbabwe.
Africa
as
a
whole
has
the
“world’s
highest
fatality
rate
at
26.6
deaths
per
100,000
people,
compared
with
a
global
average
of
about
18”,
said
AP.
And
Zimbabwe
has
one
of
the
highest
rates
–
nearly
30
deaths
per
100,000
people
–
within
Africa.
‘Pothole-riddled
reality’
Zimbabwe
was
once
known
for
“orderly
traffic
and
well
kept
roads”
but
its
network
has
“deteriorated
since
the
2000s”.
A
series
of
economic
crises
has
taken
its
toll
on
road
infrastructure,
while
“weakened”
enforcement
of
maintenance
has
led
to
“traffic
chaos”.
Despite
attempts
to
bolster
police
presence
on
the
roads,
“dangerous
driving
remains
deeply
entrenched”.
Transport
minister
Felix
Mhona
told
the
country’s
Senate
that
over
90%
of
road
accidents
are
attributable
to
human
error,
said The
Herald.
Deaths,
injuries
and
damage
from
road
traffic
accidents
constitute
a
“devastating
and
predictable
public
health
disaster”.
Such
is
the
scale
of
the
problem
that
motorists
have
been
“holding
prayers
at
blackspots”,
looking
for
“divine
intervention
to
tame
the
carnage”
and
to
ward
off
“avenging
spirits”,
said News
Day.
When
Nigerian
newspaper
Vanguard
recently
placed
Zimbabwe
in
the
top
10
of
the
best
road
networks
in
Africa,
“many
Zimbabweans
laughed
in
disbelief”,
said
Tendai
Ruben
Mbofana
in The
Zimbabwean.
Road
users
are
used
to
a
“pothole-riddled
reality”
caused
by
“years
of
underfunding,
corruption,
weak
maintenance
cultures,
and
political
mismanagement”.
In
some
places,
the
deterioration
has
been
so
marked
that
roads
are
left
“resembling
post-conflict
zones”.
‘Strikingly
inadequate’
enforcement
To
promote
road
safety,
Zimbabwean
police
have
begun
using
body
cameras
and
breathalysers,
and
want
a
“review
of
the
driver
licensing
system”,
said
AP.
This
would
include
improvements
to
training
programmes,
public
information
campaigns
to
raise
awareness
of
reckless
driving,
and
tougher
enforcement,
including
deducting
points
for
more
driving
offences.
The
Zimbabwean
government
is
targeting
tourist
routes
for
improvement,
hoping
the
investment
will
“deliver
a
key
economic
benefit”
for
the
country
and
its
struggling
economy,
said Global
Highways.
One
example
is
the
road
linking
Beitbridge,
on
the
South
African
border,
with
Bulawayo
and
the
ever-popular
Victoria
Falls.
The
Zimbabwe
Transport
Ministry
has,
however,
“exceeded
its
planned
budget”,
meaning
“there
are
concerns
as
to
how
future
works
will
be
funded”.
“While
road
rehabilitation
is
a
positive
step,
it
cannot
solve
the
problem
alone,”
said
The
Herald.
The
government
has
shown
it
can
take
hardline
legislative
stances
–
such
as
its
recent
strategy
to
tackle
drug
trafficking
and
substance
abuse
–
and
it
is
essential
that
the
same
“model
of
commitment
and
resource
intensity”
is
“replicated”
in
the
road
safety
sector.
New
road
safety
policies
have
been
introduced
but
their
enforcement
is
“strikingly
inadequate”.
Inconsistent
action
by
the
authorities
has
led
to
drivers
and
passengers
feeling
“empowered
to
flout
safety
rules
without
fear
of
consequence”.