Herald Reporter
Eight bus and truck drivers from across the country will participate in the 2016 world professional driving championships to be held in Finland on Thursday.

The selected drivers were drawn after a series of theoretical and practical tests, which included written examinations, driving drills and road tests at company, provincial and national level.

Addressing delegates at the send-off ceremony of Team-Zimbabwe to the 2016 world driving championships in Harare on Monday, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo, hailed the competition saying it would promote sanity among Zimbabwean drivers.

“For the third time, Zimbabwe will participate in this 30-year-old competition, and to the eight drivers, you are no different from any other national team,” he said.

“You are just like our national cricket team, netball or soccer teams, and the only difference may be in numbers, but your importance and relevance remains.”

Minister Gumbo said the biggest risk to business in most organisations was the people that were employed to drive, hence companies had to prioritise joining such skills development competitions for their drivers. He also hailed the participation of women in the competition.

“To our female contestant Tsitsi Khosa, you are wearing many hats. You are representing the Khosa family, our mothers, the Zimbabwe National Army and above all, the girl-child,” he said.

“All Zimbabwean women are proud of you, as you are the only Zimbabwean woman who is going to the competition for the third time in a row, and moreover in the revered bus category.”

Mrs Khosa is among the few Zimbabwean female drivers with classes 1, 3, 4 and 5 drivers’ licences in her name.

Minister Gumbo urged drivers to scoop medals at the competition saying they had been tried, tested and confirmed professional drivers who should maintain their discipline on the road as they competed with other countries.

Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) managing director, Mr Obio Chinyere, said the aim of the world drivers’ competition was to harmonise and standardise driving performance.

“This is a very important competition to expose our drivers to international driving standards. We will have drivers from United States of America, Europe, South Africa, Malawi, Kenya and other countries,” he said.

“Drivers will learn how to drive different trucks and huge vehicles. There are some latest modernised trucks out there, which our drivers shall be exposed to during the competition, hence it will be important to create living assets amongst our local drivers.”

The competition is funded by a few private and public organisations including Delta, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPSC), ZNA and Masvingo City Council.

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