President Edgar Lungu has said it is with considerable regret that he learnt of the death of 25 people in a road traffic accident which happened today at Luanshimba between Kabwe and Kapiri Mposhi districts in Central Province.
In a statement released to the media by his Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations, Amos Chanda, the President sent his heartfelt condolences to the families of the people who perished in this tragic accident.
The President has since directed that Government will take over all expenses for the funerals of the deceased and assist as much as possible to alleviate the suffering of the mourners during this trying moment.
“The magnitude of the tragedy is shocking. That 25 people can at a go be killed in one act of recklessness is a sad reminder to all over us of the duty of care, we owe one another. It saddens me that despite the great work that RTSA is doing to create awareness on road safety, we still face tragedies like this due to carelessness of some people.”
The Head of State has also assured the nation that he will thoroughly examine the tender proceedings regarding the procurement of contracts to build dual carriage ways on such busy highways such as, between Lusaka and Copperbelt Provinces.
The President has directed that all Government agencies tasked with the responsibility to build dual carriage ways and safer public roads must expeditiously conclude the assignment to help reduce incidents of road carnage such as the ones experienced in recent months.
The Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) has since been dispatched to Kabwe to assess the requirements of the bereaved families and immediately commence to provide essential services needed to cushion off the sufferings of the affected families.
The President has further directed Central Province Minister Honourable Davies Chisopa to lead the Provincial Administration in working with the DMMU to lessen the burden of the families as much as possible.
Early today, Twenty five people died after a Wada Chovu Lusaka bound bus collided with an oncoming Mercedes Benz Minibus at a place called Manyumbi near Kabwe on the Great North Raod. Police Spokesperson Charity Munganga-Chanda Charity Munganga-Chanda.
The accident is said to have happened when the Wada Chovu Bus attempted to avoid a stationed truck but ended up being in another lane in which it collided with an oncoming Mercedes Benz.
And In another related incident a Mazhandu bus has been involved in an accident in Kapiri Mposhi district. Police Spokesperson Charity Munganga says the accident involved a Mazhandu bus and a Toyata canter.
Ms Munganga says no one has been injured in the Mazhandu bus but that one person has been seriously injured in the Toyata canter.
Meanwhile, The Road Transport and Safety Agency RTSA has given Mazhandu Family bus services a Seven Day ultimatum to show cause why its operating licence should not be suspended or revoked.
Earlier, RTSA Senior Manager for Public Relations Fredrick Mubanga says investigations have reviewed that Mazhandu Family Buses Services abrogated the condition given under the Road Service Licence.
The ultimatum followed another accident on Monday involving a Lusaka-bound Mazhandu bus, registration number ALP 5119, in which six people died after the bus overturned on the Great North Road in Kapiri Mposhi.
Mr Mubanga explained that Mazhandu has not been adhering to the set speed limits.
He said RTSA Chief Executive Officer Zindabo Soko has since written to the operator asking them to exculpate themselves.
Mr Mubanga said Mazandu services has now up to Seven days to show cause why its licence should not be revoked or suspended.
Why does it take him so long to say anything on pressing national issues?
There is nothing sinister, devilish about these acccidents…These bus drivers are either too tired to continue driving, or its an issue of saying, “I drive fast, and was overtaking, and it only took me 20 minutes from Ndola to Kapiri”…
It is a surprise for me that people who claim to be professed Christians would not see these accidents as demonically influenced because this same spot has been reported over and over as black spot. Why always between Kabwe and Kapiri?
You Africans & your devil & God! Everything, pretty much all manners of failure & incompetence can be excused by claiming, it is Devil’s work.
Why doesn’t the devil carry out these works anywhere else, in other countries outside Africa?
Does the devil live in Africa?
Mr @Mobile Phone Gondwe
The country you are living in is developed because their fore-fathers loved God, prayed and served Him diligently, then He blessed their land and they propsered. Today, their children have forsaken Him (Him) thinking they have prospered by their own wisdom. He is soon abasing them if they do not turn away from their evil ways. Do not just blindly follow ignorance simply because they are Muzungus. You will perish with them dear. God is real and He does NOT play games. You are NOT an accident but one created by God, put on earth for a purpose. Discover your purpose dear before it is too late. Jesus is alive and He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Blessings to you!
always on these buses the driver and the conductor are chatting making the driver fail to concentrate if not that, its the driver on the phone and this Zindaba Soko is clueless, all his officers are rushing to get bribes elsewhere. Zindaba must be fired since he came on the scene our roads have never been safer and RTSA is dead no professionalism.
Mobile Phone Gondwe you hit the nail on the head. You are right, Africans are too lazy to fix things. They either blame the devil or leave everything to God to fix.
The whole of the Lusaka-Ndola road should declared a NATIONAL DISASTER. In fact this road should even be CLOSED AT NIGHT – this road is horrible to say the least… Its so embarrassing to have it as one of our major roads in the country!
It is reckless driving causing these accidents. You guys in zed you overtake even when you have seen a vehicle approaching. I saw near misses during over taking from kitwe to lsk. I saw over taking on curves and some people parking their vehicles on aide of the road but inside the road.
Driving in zambia is crazy
I am actually surprised there aren’t many more accidents on Zambian roads. I must tell you, after living abroad for a while and then going back to Zambia to visit, I always get surprised to see the kind of reckless behaviour drivers get away with. Behaviour that here in America would earn you a quick trip to traffic court for a hefty fine, license suspension, license revocation or worse; JAIL TIME! The basics of road rules seems to be nonexistent or untaught to drivers. Even the Police, or whoever is responsible for enforcing traffic laws, appear only to be interested in mounting fake roadblocks to extract bribes, NOTHING ELSE! Until the culture of impunity on the part of drivers and corruption on the part of Law enforcement agents is stopped, carnage on Zambian roads will continue.
“…It saddens me that despite the great work that RTSA is doing to create awareness on road safety, we still face tragedies like this due to carelessness of some people” IT IS IN FACT THE CORRUPTNESS OF RTSA WHICH IS CAUSING ALL THESE ACCIDENTS. LICENSES ARE JUST GIVEN AWAY UPON BEING BRIBED. ANOTHER CULPRIT IS RDA- THE ROADS IN ZAMBIA ARE SO POORLY DESIGNED AN DRIVER CAN STOP AND PACK ANYWHERE. NO SHOULDERS ON THE ROADS TO AVOID PACKING ANYWHERE. POLICE ARE ALSO SO STINKING CORRUPT THEY DON’T ARREST THOSE WHO PACK THEIR VEHICLES ANYWHERE. I REMEMBER BEFORE I LEFT ZAMBIA…
…from @1.10 BEFORE I LEFT ZAMBIA MANY LIVES WERE LOST DUE TO WRONG PACKED VEHICLES ON ROADS. FOR INSTANCE A CHARCOAL OR A FRESH/DRIED FISH COULD SIMPLY BE ABANDONED ON THE ROAD AND OTHER UN SUSPECTING MOTORISTS JUST CRASHED INTO THESE ABANDONED VEHICLES. THE OFFENDERS ALWAYS WENT SCOTT FREE. THIS LOSS OF LIFE THROUGH ABANDONED VEHICLES HAS GONE ON AND ON WITH POLICE NOT DOING ANYTHING TO STOP THE OFFENSE. THIS IS BECAUSE ALL POLICE SIMPLY GET BRIBED. IT’S A SHAME IN OUR COUNTRY. JUST YESTERDAY RTSA WAS THREATENING TO SUSPEND THE LICENSE OF THE OTHER BUS COMPANY INSTEAD OF WITHDRAWING THE LICENSE. CORRUPTION.
A president examining tender proceedings for construction of a road. Elyo cha pwa nomba
@new zedians, f&$ck off with that deluded BS. The West is developed because of the forefathers being blessed by God? You must be dumb puppet. These are the same people who came into Africa to steal natural resources. Many of the forefathers were Freemasons and observed Egyptian gods. Those same forefathers were slave owners and committed various atrocities. If ‘God’ blessed them due to that, then it would say a lot about him. National development has nothing to do with God.
@Mozegeta! Where have you been; missed your postings. I agree with you totally. The trouble with people like @new zedian is that they think the veneer of achievement they observe elsewhere was done without effort, or that there was some supernatural hand that got them to where they are. While the vehicles on our roads have continued to get faster and presumably advanced, our road network has not kept up. In fact we make them worse by putting obstacles like road humps and allowing populations very close to them! These and other behaviors are not rocket science but conscious decisions society MUST make!
@Kalok my friend! I took some time off posting. I agree. We used to say ‘Lesa afwa aba yafwilisha’ until we were rebuked by this zealous charismatic Pentecostal chap in high school. He said it wasn’t in the bible and that self help was unnecessary. Now we have a mushrooming of Pentecostal charismatic churches teaching people about ‘miracle money’ and all forms of laziness. These are the ideologies that have shaped our country’s current state and continue to hinder development. The idea that we can pray ourselves out of a problem without being proactive. It’s a shame.
Lord have mercy!
We need a dual carriage way from Livingstone to Solwezi.
These roads were designed in the colonial era when traffic was one car per hour on these roads. Traffic has increased a 2000% since then on these same roads.
Lord have mercy!
NZ:
Up on top you made outrageous claims about man being created by God and that those muzungu countries prosper today because they prayed incessantly to god.
Your perspective on this issue, NZ, lacks depth. While you are busy blasting cellphone you fail to recognize that god is simply a figment of man’s imagination. Assuming for a second that he lives, a point that’s always raised by xtians, he does not seem to favor anybody with natural environments, rain, wind and sun. Everyone including those that don’t believe in your god get them. You see where I am headed with this?
@2 IT SEEMS THAT YOU ONLY KNOW ONE ROAD IN ZAMBIA. IN FACT, ZAMBIA, NEEDS DUAL CARRIAGE WAYS ON ALL INTER CITY, TOWN AND INTERNATIONAL MOTOR WAYS. EVERY YEAR CONTRACTS MUST BE GIVEN TO CONTRACTORS TO BUILD DUAL CARRIAGE WAYS. THE MONEY ISSUE IS NOW A THING OF THE PAST AS TOLL GATES ARE GENERATING HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS PER MONTH. AND THE MORE DUAL CARRIAGE WAYS THE MORE THE MONEY THAT WILL BE COLLECTED BY ADDITIONAL TOLL GATES.
Pliz our Almighty God,you heal our land mother Zambia.we recently went for prayer and fasting as the entire nation and all these calamities we are now facing are totally the opposite of our expectations.economic disasters,ritual killings,political violence,loadsheding,to name but a few.Twalapusukila kwisa?Twalila pafula nefilamba fyasuka fyauma,nensala twalileka nokuyumfwa pamulandu wakukunkuma.twafweni twapapata.ishi intungulushi shapachalo nashifilwa,bunda bwa kumonekelafye ku banthu ukwabula na mano.
Dual carriage way will solve the problems, plus better highway patrol. Prayers are always heard by Jesus. We the people need to use our wisdom and smarts too.
Based on what god does for people in response to their prayers, it is hard to believe he has any might at all.
Things like taking sides in a game of football, telling a televangelist that he can have another jet if he needed it, saving a man from an unusual erection, etc do not belong on a resume of an almighty being!
How many more people will have to perish before these incompetent government officials wake up? So many lives have been unnecessarily lost over the years on this road between Lusaka and Ndola. A dual carriage way should have been prioritized a lot time ago, and such needless loss of lives could have been prevented. The offer to pay for funerals is nothing but a stunt to cover incompetence. There should be a way to hold these unfit leaders accountable, including taking them to court. Maybe then they would wake up. Condolences to the victims’ families.
Don’t blame government officials for your carelessness and stupidity! Today I was driving from southern province and visibility was extremely poor and many motorists couldn’t put on the lights! These look like small things but they matter a lot! It for the other motorists to be aware of you!
Even the dual carriage way cannot a resolve a problem which is mainly to do with the incompetence of Zambian drivers. Most of the drivers even get their licenses without sitting any tests at all. In fact most Zambian Drivers are ignorant of Traffic rules. How can a driver of big vehicle like that Wada Bus try overtaking a stationary vehicle without checking incoming vehicles on the lane?? How did her get the License? Hang the bas.tard please!!
i agree with you, and this Zindaba Soko always its over speeding without through investigations. the chap is so incompetent and only thinks about his corrupt officers
Chilyata, government officials are supposed to control of the situation by STRICTLY enforcing the laws. Otherwise, they’ll have to take the blame if Zambia has drivers who drive large commercial vehicles without taking driving tests, or learning the rules. In developed countries, such staff hardly happen. Take the USA for example, they make sure you have a special license that calls for special training, before you can drive a large commercial vehicle. And highway (police) patrol constantly check licenses to make sure drivers are complying with the laws. If you dare to try and drive a large commercial vehicle without a commercial license, a huge fine and prison would be waiting for you.
@felix, the problem with my fellow Zambians in the diaspora is that some of you are so unrealistic. It’s always the U.S this, U.K that. You’re comparing a Ferrari to a Prius. The Zambian system cannot become the American system overnight because the infrastructure to support that is not present. We can choose a direction and begin to move, but you need to be realistic. Start by improving the highway system and then develop softwares to help traffic authorities implement the law.
You see thats where the problem is, when people perished in that post bus, govt said they would soon a contract to some firm so that they can commence duo carriage works but alas just after burial, it was swept under the carpet. Now that people have perished on the same road, construction story will emerge again.
Even if we have dual carriage this will happen. People are careless and irresponsible. Because people buy drivers licenses, it’s a shame!
Our friends in Kenya have gone round this issue by fitting speed monitors. The regulations mean that every public transport vehicle must have one to ensure they do not go over the 80km/ph (49mph) speed limit.
That’s what happens when you have corruption and lax laws, and lack of proper strict enforcement of laws. If it’s established that someone bought a commercial license without taking the needed training for it, a minimum of 5 years in prison should be slapped on them. And everyone that was involved in the corruption should be charged too. Others will learn from that, and will refrain from attempting corrupt practices. So it’s all about laws and serious enforcement, with serious prison time. It doesn’t eliminate corruption completely, but it drastically reduces it.
so sad
You need a dual carriage from Livingstone to the Copperbelt. This should have been done years ago. Too many lives are being lost. Look at this, when a bus kills the same number of people in Peru or China, it becomes world news, but when the same number of people die in Zambia the international press does not cover it because it is considered normal. This loss of life due to indisciplined driving must stop.
Another head on collision…Zambian road designs are outdated and funny enough they cost $1 million per kilometer, surely how can an intercity road lanes be separated by a line and not a barrier or island. We are wasting billions of dollars on ill thought out designs not encouraging innovative designs in the road construction process, we are not encouraging value engineering hence the high cost simply giving overpriced contracts to the contractor who is offering the biggest brown envelope.
Spare thought for the people in that minibus; those little buses should have been banned as makeshift wielded seats are simply squeezed in; to pack more passengers in. Put on top of that we have these useless Chinese buses that would not pass basic standard tests in Europe or US.
These drivers are big time stressed and fatigued .stress plus fatigue = fatal.And again what is so special about this month April and again what is wrong with this road kabwe lusaka /kabwe kapir.
Remember fellow Zambians the same april we lost the kawambwa boy.zambia national team i think the list is endless just in this month. prayers are agently needed
70% of Zambian drivers buy licenses, they don’t even go for tests. I know some people who have class C drivers license but they can’t even drive. It’s K1500 to buy a licesence. People in charge of issuing driver’s licenses are too corrupt.
It’s a shame.
Let’s not blame yet. Our neighbors have national speed limits on most of their highways and are closely monitored. Let’s learn and try to introduce some safeguards on our highways? E.g. No heavy trucks moving on highways after 1900hrs till 0500hrs. Speed traps to be given to the smaller police points along the routes as opposed to only vehicles from big towns etc it’s not always government to blame! Somethings are in our hands to suggest to the authorities for our future safety?
Corrupt ZP officers will use it as a gravy train…we need to modernise!!
Our land, the main problem seems to be having unqualified drivers driving large commercial vehicles, such as large trucks and buses, without the required training. Strict laws, proper enforcement, and serious prison time can control that. I would suggest a minimum of 5 years in prison, if anyone is caught driving a large vehicle without proper training. As for what time the heavy trucks should be on the road, it doesn’t really matter if you have qualified drivers. In fact, some drivers prefer to drive at night, because there is usually less traffic, and the road surfaces cool down and make it easy on the tires.
Well posted jay jay!! Though the bright side of the same gravy train is that the intending to err drivers will be aware of this corruption too and slow down anyway to avoid and kind of payments, legal or illegal??
The rate of the accidents in Zambia, with all this loss of life, has been alarmingly too high. A combination of factors that are being successively ignored, are to blame. It starts from the corrupt dealings in licensing, ensuring of the road worthiness of vehicles, policing, type of roads between major cities and complete inertia to doing anything effective by all those with authority to do so. What is government’s reaction each time? “We will alleviate the suffering by covering the costs of the funeral” Really annoying. Perhaps its one of the indicators of a nation without plans for much of the human endeavours.
Putting the blame on irregular issuance of drivers license is incorrect. I say this because let’s look at facts many accidents are caused by so called experienced drivers and not new drivers or drivers without licenses even the Chibombo accident was caused by an old madala who had been driving for over 40 years, in this case there is no way a driver of a 50 plus seater bus who has driven for years could be driving with a fake license that is not possible. All the same so sad for this to happen MTSRIP.
Why is the dual carriage ONLY talked about when we have a disaster? Traffic flow on the Great North Road has increased tremendously and if we were planning in advance we could have had a dual carriage all the way from Livingstone to Chililabombwe but alas this is just talked about in passing. A few years ago the bridge at Mulungushi University was submerged and lives were lost there. By then MMD promised to put up a raised bridge BUT up to now nothing happened.
To my fellow motorist,let not our lack of decipline on the road make us forget our training of the high way code..let’s exercise patience on the road and beware and alert at all times..To the RDA,pliz improve on the road markings,road signs and general conditions of the road..the dual carriage way between lsk and copperbelt is long over due..To the RTSA,intensify on highway patrols and speed traps especially on these high ways to reduce these issues..stop taking bribes from flimsy offences on the road..rather put a penalty on a vehicle as they renew road tax for the true offences committed. this will improve professionalism and lessen road block delay..To the government,prevention is better and cheaper than cure..implore a heart of listening to the cries of the people for better roads…
@shoket well said, very true it would prevent careless driving if a penalty was indeed placed on the Road tax payable on renewal. I hope Ratsa are reading these posts.
If there was a need for a commission of inquiry its now..to investigate everything from issuance of licences to inspection of roads and contracts!!
This is what zambian watchdog has been talking about. These traffic accidents,ritual killing,will continue because they are politically connected. Please PF leave this country in peace twapapata. What kind of life is this ? Tucule panga sure. Awe tefintu.
What is Toyota canter? Never head of this in my life. I only know of Mitsubishi canter.
Man ma spellings it was Toyata Canter. I was like what a hell is Toyata?
Very sad accident and one has to pray for the dead and their facilities. These, however, are accidents avoidable, if only our planners realised the risks posed by our roads. Living in the West and returning home makes one realise how dangerous things are. Many drivers are clueless when it comes to safety, the roads are dangerous with huge humps on inter-city highways with little in the way of warnings, Police mount road blocks in places permanently and the new roads are hanging in the air on the sides, making fatal accidents most likely. Then there are the people walking in the roads! Its incredible! There is a lot to do, but lets first define the problem.
..if all the PSV drivers in Zed had to under go the driving learning process and subsequent driving tests exactly what their UK counterparts go thru…only less than one eighth would pass….
….driving is not just matter of starting the engine, engaging gears and turning the steering wheel…there is more to driving than that….judgement in this case was cardinal…it is obvious that the marcopolo bus driver felt lazy to change down to give way to the on coming vehicle…he misjudged the distance and the speed of the approaching bus….eeish
…all PSV drivers to be re examines under a more serious programme that’s the first solution before we even think of dual roads….
The real problem is poor driving habits in Zambia. Dual carriage way may not solve all accident. How many accidents happen between Ndola and Kitwe which has a dual carriage way? And people should stop the primitivism of we need prayers on everything. We need better monitoring and strict controls
#ZNBC LT report Toyota Canter #surf@boom_@salad#cooking oil
It’s a combination of many factors causing these accidents and the entire system is broken. First most vehicles’ road worthiness is below acceptable standards. We don’t have a legal enforced road worthiness serving scheme that ensures vehicles are fit for the roads from being new to write off.
The licencing scheme is corrupt with most unskilled drivers on our roads. You then have drunken drivers who drive under the influence with no fear of repercussions. You have speeding problems and drivers who think they are Kings and their passengers are treated like Shyt.
Add poorly designed roads and you have mayhem on the roads.
Above all a corrupt system.
@John China, I agree with you. I use the Ndola Kitwe road daily and see accidents every other week. It’s careless driving that is the root of all these accidents.
Sorry, meant @John Chinena
Find the root cause,use stat,why only commercial transporters,may be they are not adequately trained,maybe they are fatgued.Easy way out is to blame typical of us skinies.Look at this cases interllectually,may be the buses lose grip,may be the tyres are worn,may be the spot is blind and there is no overtaking sighn.For those of you who think the west is better,there was a serious accident in spain where lots of people lost their lives,derailments in US,accidents are not racially inclined or ethinically.
So sad condolences to the bereaved families
It takes ages for Changwa to say something. In other countries Changwa Edgar Lungu should have rushed there and made a compressive statement to put an end to these deaths. The road safety should impose an 80 km/h speed driving limit on all our highways with no dual carriage way. Ndola to Luska used to take 4 hrs. Now make it 5 hrs. Better arrive safe than dead. Do we need a president to die in these accidents for us to take action? Corrupt state house has corruptly built roads in other places with less traffic but has failed to build a dua carriage way between Lska & Ndola. Shame on corrupt state house.
I left Zambia for RSA 21 years ago, but I drive into Zambia very regularly, and I have been driving for over 42 years. Believe me, countrymen, I am now sacred of driving on Zambian highways, especially after dark. There is so much recklessness, a I can testify after my trip from Johannesburg, Kitwe and Mansa two weeks ago. The people with super cars drive and overtake you so carelessly, even on blind corners, trusting that their speed will keep them safe, cutting in and endangering other motorists. The super turbo-charged passenger coaches cruising at speeds of over 140km/hr, with no speed restrictions on their engines simply petrified me. In the night they blind you with their spot-lights….Then there are the huge trucks with ten halogen, super-white spotlights as well, meant to drive…
I have also been on South African roads and there is no difference between SA drivers and Zambian drivers when it comes to speed and carelessness. The difference only comes in when it comes to the quality of roads and adherence to vehicle quality and maintenance. Roads in SA are wide and well maintained. Where there are potholes, there is even a sign post to alert motorists. when a vehicle breaks down, it is removed within time unlike in Zambia where you will find trail of leaves as reflective triangles. SA vehicles also comply with set standards. 60% of Zambian vehicles cant be allowed on SA roads. So it is safer to be careless on South African roads than Zambian roads
What is considerable regret?
You have all commented well but Jay Jay and Our Land have mentioned something which most of you have failed to address. That is reducing the speed limit of buses and transport vehicles to 80 km/h which I too have advocated. Any bus or track without these devises should be charged and forced to fit one. Overtaking lanes should be built before the dua carriage way.