Carelessness, not juju, devouring citizens

                                            (Picture credit: The Manica Post)

By Lazarus Sauti

A solemn atmosphere engulfed Rusape when a horrendous traffic accident involving a Smart Express coach and a Bolt Cutter bus devoured 46 lives near Torish Farm just after the Rusape tollgate last year.

The accident occurred at the 166km peg along the Harare-Mutare highway near Rusape around 1730hrs on a stretch of the road where overtaking is clearly prohibited.

 

Smart Express bus was overtaking two heavy trucks going to Harare and side-swiped the oncoming Bolt Cutter bus.

After failing to negotiate over the continuous prohibition line, the driver hit a tree with a huge impact.

This was not the first traffic disaster involving Smart Express buses since the beginning of 2018.

In September 2018, for instance, one of the company’s buses was involved in a grisly accident which killed one person and left 11 others fatally injured along Mutare-Masvingo highway.

These accidents prompted social media talks alleging that they are a result of juju, accusations vehemently denied by Smart Express owner, Arima Makwarimba, who said she operates a clean business and had not sought to augment it using juju.

Pastor Stella Chegovo of Grace Methodist Church, however, says some bus companies in the country are operating their businesses in an evil way, hence the spilling of blood.

“Although the month of November is linked with myths, some bus companies are operating their businesses in evil ways and this is causing road calamities,” she said. “We must, therefore, pray without ceasing to defeat Satan who is always active to destroy us.”

Chief Makope, Jacob Mapirinjanja, also links some of the road accidents directly to Satanism.

“The mushrooming of churches is a big problem as church leaders are consulting fetish priests to help them woo followers. Thus, road accidents are a means of fulfilling the blood demands of the fetish priests,” he said.

As for the traditional leader, Sekuru Friday Chisanyu, accidents are influenced by mysticism and the violation of cultural values is angering ancestral spirits, so the curse on our roads.

“We are using Christian values, instead of observing traditional rites to curb accidents. By so doing, we are insulting our ancestors and they are no longer protecting us on the roads,” he said, adding that innocent citizens are trapped in most accidents. 

Sekuru Chisanyu thus begs the government to provide chiefs, traditional healers and spirit mediums in each and every province with resources to cleanse black spots, appease ancestors and save human lives in line with Section 33 of the country’s Constitution, which provides for the “preservation, protection and promotion of indigenous knowledge systems.”

“Life is sacred; it is a non-renewable resource. We need to join hands to save it. We should stop road carnage through observing our traditional rituals,” he said.

Sekuru Chisanyu also proposes that road users who drive carelessly must be severely fined to save the sanctity of life.

Presenting the 2019 National Budget recently, Finance minister, Mthuli Ncube hiked fines for traffic offenders from $30 to $700 and imprisonment for a period not exceeding 12 months with effect from1 January 2019 to promote road safety culture   

Reverend Kelvin Takawira of the Christian Marching Church opposes that mystic powers could be the unseen hand devouring Zimbabweans on our roads.

“While I agree that juju can be blamed for road accidents in this county, the Rusape accident is different; it was about carelessness. Remember, statistics confirm that most accidents in this country are caused by human error,” he said.

Sharing the same sentiments, social scientist, Hannah Tarindwa, adds that people put much power to the supernatural, ignoring real reasons behind road carnages such as human error and technology.

“As opposed to faulting juju,” she asserted, “individuals should simply ask: Are these buses properly serviced? Do road safety experts assess the buses frequently and completely? Is there greasing of hands to such an extent that public service vehicles are on the streets in unfit conditions?”

For writer, Tinashe Muchuri, road accidents are due to poor maintenance of vehicles, reckless driving, speeding, inattentive driving and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

“Zimbabwe is one of the countries where road signs and speed limits are not respected at all, and drivers who fail to execute their duties because of the influence of drugs and alcohol blame juju whenever accidents occur,” he added.

Tatenda Chinoda, Information, Communication and Technology manager for the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ), says there is no link whatsoever between juju and an outbreak of road traffic fatalities and his organisation remains relentless in its drive to continuously educate drivers to be responsible.

“Speeding is the greatest error which drivers are committing and we have always been on record and we continue to do so to advise drivers to slow down and save lives,” he said.

Chinoda added that the Rusape disaster was the most preventable road traffic crash, but the Smart Express bus driver, Cosmas Marembo failed to abide by the rules stipulated in the Road Traffic Act.

“Marembo was not only speeding but intruded into the lane of the oncoming Bolt Cutter bus in a prohibited zone that is also well marked with solid lines restricting vehicles to their lanes,” he said, adding that the driver was allegedly using his cellphone whilst driving.

To curb road accidents asserts Chinoda, drivers must adhere to Statutory Instrument 168 of 2006, which demands that “a public service vehicle driver must have proof of five years of continuous experience before driving a public service vehicle; must undergo a re-testing exercise after every 5 years, and must be a holder of a Defensive Driving Certificate issued only by the TSCZ which is valid for a period of four years.”

“Instead of blaming juju, we are increasing awareness among road users. Our hashtag is 'save lives, slow down' and we want everyone to catch the breeze, make it nice and easy on our roads. A single death is one too many. Safety first, there is no second chance,” Chinoda added.

In his research paper titled “Fatalism, superstition, religion, and culture: road user beliefs and behaviour in Pakistan” published in 2011, Ahsan Ul Haq Kayani notes that awareness among road users is the only panacea to clear misinterpretations that link road accidents and juju.

Transport and Infrastructural Development minister, Joel Biggie Matiza, appealed to all drivers to exercise caution, drive with due care, observe all regulations pertaining to road use and have respect for human lives.

Without a doubt, traffic accidents have turned into the Sword of Damocles hanging on the head of every Zimbabwean.

Figures from the TSCZ revealed that a total of 1 838 deaths were recorded in 2017, while 10 489 were injured in 42 430 crashes that occurred last year, translating to 153 deaths monthly.

These terrifying figures are a sign of the mentality of most drivers who could not think about the lives of the specific travellers their occupations rely upon.