Stray animals: silent road killers

Lazarus Sauti

It is not just bad roads and drink driving that are causing road accidents.

Stray animals too have become a potential threat for motorists, especially in remote areas.

Recently, 12 people were killed, while 45 others were injured when an MB Transport bus collided head-on with a haulage truck 45km outside Beitbridge town in an accident that has since been declared a national disaster.

According to the police officer in charge of crime in Beitbridge District, Assistant Commissioner Bobby Murwira, the bus hit a donkey and swerved to the side of an on-coming truck resulting in a head-on collision that killed 10 people on the spot.

Sadly, two other people died upon admission at Beitbridge District hospital.

Metrine Mudau, Member of Parliament (MP) for Beitbridge West constituency, where the accident occurred, agreed that most accidents around her constituency are caused by stray animals.

The accident buttressed the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) National Traffic 2014 report which state that of the 41 016 road accidents recorded between January and December 2014, at least 6.6 percent were caused by stray animals.

These animals are not causing road accidents in Zimbabwe only but in most – if not all- countries in southern Africa as well as other developing states.

“Stray animals such as donkeys and wild animals are some of the common causes of accidents on Namibian roads, many of which are fatal,” confessed Namibia’s Attorney General Sacky Shanghala recently.

He added that drivers normally hit stray animals during the night as well as early hours of the morning and a large number of such incidents go unreported unless it results in a death because the victims cannot lodge a complaint against a cow or a dog.

A kombi driver who plies the Harare-Murambinda Highway Blessing Mahwite says stray animals are a problem and blames lack of proper infrastructure like fenced paddocks.

“Due to lack of proper infrastructure like fenced padlocks, domestic animals in rural Zimbabwe travel anywhere without being controlled and this is causing fatal accidents,” he said, adding that donkeys contribute to the high incidence of road accidents as they do not move away from the road when a vehicle is approaching.

To curb the problem, the Police Anti-Stock Theft Unit has launched campaigns such as ‘Operation Chengetedzai Zvipfuyo and ‘Operation Mombe Mumugwagwa Kwete’.

Under ‘Operation Chengetedzai Zvipfuyo’ the Unit encourages farmers to look after their cattle by ensuring they are in pens at the required time whilst under ‘Operation Mombe Mumugwagwa Kwete’, farmers with cattle straying on highways are fined.

However, policymakers and stakeholders in road and safety should take stern measures to support the Police Anti-Stock Theft Unit and eradicate this problem that is ravaging the country and stalling socio-economic transformation.

Mudau says it is s vital that members of the community look after their livestock to avoid such occurrences, a fact prop up by Shanghala who added that owners of any animal should keep their animals tethered or grazing at safe distances instead of letting them stray into public areas.

Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo believes it is the duty of his ministry as well as other stakeholders to ensure that roads are safe.

“It is our mandate to ensure that roads are safe for everyone and as a result we adopted a policy whereby those contracted to construct our roads should also erect a perimeter fence,” he said, urging people to desist from vandalising perimeter fences along major roads as this exposes the travelling public to danger.

Gumbo also said the ministry together with traditional chiefs and the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe have embarked on a programme of tagging cattle with reflective ear-tags to eradicate accidents caused by stray animals.

However, he added, the project will take long to reach the rest of the country.

Gumbo also appealed to drivers as well as road users to exercise caution when travelling during the night and early hours of the morning.

Sharing the same sentiments, the national police spokesperson, Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi added that drivers should adhere to safety and precautionary measures when driving to avoid accidents.

“The Highway Code is clear that Zimbabwe is a cattle country. Drivers should always remember this to avoid loss of lives,” he said.

A researcher with keen interest in traffic and safety issues Gift Taderera says empirical evidence and logics demonstrate that stray animals are not beneficial to a country.

“As such, a multi-stakeholder approach should be adopted, with the enforcer ensuring that the defaulting animal owners put their house in order.

“The private sector should also be actively involved in such a multi-sector initiative because of the risks and opportunities to their businesses as a result of accidents,” he said.

Taderera also added that low cost technologies as well as institutional innovations need to be implemented to underpin the required safety improvements not only in Zimbabwe, but other developing nations as well.