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Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter

Visiting United Nations Secretary-General Special Envoy for Road Safety, Mr Jean Todt, has commended the Government for prioritising road safety in light of high incidences of accidents on the country’s roads.

Mr Todt said this after paying a courtesy call on Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri yesterday.

“It was a very important meeting to share the information about road safety with the Minister of Defence who is also the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs,” he said.

“It is very encouraging that the Government put the issue of road safety at the top of their agenda because we know that the situation in Eastern Africa and specifically in Zimbabwe is not good on the road but to see the strong will to make changes is very important.”

Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said the meeting with Mr Todt was important in line with the Government’s efforts to improve road safety.

“This meeting is very important to Zimbabwe considering the review report on road safety of this country. It is very important by the reasons that we now have realities that we have too many cars on our roads. And because now, as our economy is growing, we have too many trucks on our roads, the carnage is worrying.

“Almost US$1 billion is spent annually on buying cars and we are happy that His Excellency, the President has put in place an inter-ministerial taskforce to address some of these challenges because we were losing lives and the need to make sure that those that are injured in road accidents are within the confines of clinics so that they get attention,” she said.

Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri also commended President Mnangagwa for buying air ambulances so that those injured in road accidents receive urgent attention.

She also thanked the UN for its assistance to Zimbabwe.

“The UN is very critical, the conventions; the political will is there and the President is saying we must ratify the conventions through our own Parliament so that they become part of our laws and we are happy that the UN is happy to work with Government, but we have to be ready to do our part,” Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said.