Dear Editor,
I work for Mazhandu Family Bus Services and I can confirm that fatigue could have been responsible for the Mazhandu Bus accident horror near Mulungushi University yesterday.
Our driver was on the same bus previous morning from Lusaka to Livingstone and came back to Lusaka in the afternoon.
He later complained that the bus had some mechanical problems that needed to be attended to.But management insisted that he proceeds to Kitwe same afternoon using the same bus despite the mechanical problems that were not fully rectified.
That’s how he left for Copperbelt in the afternoon covering a route from Lusaka to Livingstone back to Lusaka and proceeded to the Copperbelt where he arrived around 22:00hrs.
[pullquote]Whenever we complain we are told by the boss that he is well connected as main sponsor for the ruling PF party[/pullquote]
Around 03:00hrs yesterday morning, he was again awake in readiness to start off as the first bus to Lusaka which he did until the fatal accident that happened and claimed his life together with many other people.
Whenever we complain, we are told by the boss that he is well connected as main sponsor for the ruling PF party.
If Zambian people remember, our operating license was suspended for one month but within 3 days we were back on the road despite not having met any of the conditions that were set for us.
Even this time around, we know nothing will happen and we shall continue losing lives.
The problem is we have no jobs to feed our families otherwise some of us we would have left a long time ago.
Mazyandu driver
Wrong picture,I can send you true pictures
Please no gory pictures! We are tired of dead bodies on the road sides.
Iwe mubemba, nivako vima pikicha ivo va bantu bokufa. Why do you take pleasure in publicising dead bodies?
Reports that the licence has been suspended are a waste of time the owner will bribe PF officials and decision reversed!
This is a useless corrupt government!
More lives will be lost. If the bus had no fitness who authorised it punish whoever is got to do with this crime and make them an example to others.
Otherwise people will keep on dying needlessly!
If the Zambian public transport users were united, they would just completely shun travelling on Mazhandu buses as the only way to get them off the road. PF government will never ever do anything to discipline Mazhandu because we have heard that Mazhandu is the main sponsor of PF programs and projects.
This is just hear say. Anyone can make up a story. We should instead get professional investigators to determine the real cause of the accident.
Mechanical fault? Meantime RTSA initially advised there was over speeding involved, I was tired meantime over speeding?? Did you doze off and press the accelerator harder? Ba driver are sure its not you with a mechanical fault in your driving and judgement? Also passengers need to stop sitting silently when drivers drive recklessly, when one speaks out your fellow passengers tell you Ikaleni fye imwe.
we are paying with our lives. The party must be for the people and if this is what the situation will be paying with our lives then the relationship should be reviewed. The minister that cancelled the suspension should be brought to book as well.
By the way how come the magicians who are calling themselves prophets (read: Profits) are not able to predict these tragedies instead they are hypnotizing gullible Zedians by praying for their sim cards, phones, debit cards, turning water into fuel, taking peoples daughters to the mountains, spraying doom into faces etc? Please answer bene S..r 1? C……r 1? M…r 1? Anybody? You are disgracing the genuine men of God
What the owners of Mazhandu are supposed to have said are typical of the corrupt relationships that PF have with business people.
THIS TO ME SHOWS THAT THE DIRECTIVE STOPPING BUSES FROM MOVING IN THE NIGHT WAS DONE HURRIEDLY. BECAUSE THE OWNERS OF THE MAZHANDU BUS WANTED TO “BEAT” THE NIGH RESTRICTIONS, SO, IN ORDER TO MAXIMIZE ON THE DAY TIME, THE POOR DRIVER WAS OVERUSED AND HE BECAME SO VERY TIRED.
THERE SHOULD BE LAWS PRESCRIBING HOW LONG A PUBLIC TRANSPORT DRIVER CAN BE ALLOWED TO BE ON DUTY BEFORE A BREAK. NOT JUST CHIPANTE PANTE….. STOP MOVING AT NIGHT, BAN MAZHANDU ETC. ALL THESE RESTRICTIONS MAY NOT WORK IF WE DO NOT DEAL WITH THE ROOT CAUSE.
Zambians suffer from ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ loving them that kill them slowly in a subtle way.
Zambians like death. Author of this article confirms that PF does not care about Zambian life over money.
“Reloaded under”, “Under new Management”
Can someone please clarify for me. Where was the bus coming from?
USELESS COUNTRY ,USELESS PEOPLE ,USELESS GOVERMENT ,USELESS PRESIDENT FUUUCK ME
and useless you! fuuuck you…
FOR SURE YOUR USELESS!
The author of this is lying. buses no longer move at night so if the driver went to livingstone in the morning he can only be in lusaka after 18hrs. But we are told that the bus left lusaka around 15hrs, had break down in kabwe where they even spent a night before starting off the following day to CB.That bus was not coming from the copperbelt as he has put it. LIAR
YOU ARE RIGHT UBUFI FYE WEKAWEKA APA THERE IS NO SYNCHRONICITY OF THIS STATEMENT.
This story is false/fake
This story is made up and pseudo, Mazhandu family are not near or members of PF
Its sad that the driver and many of our beloved one are no more condolences the families of the affected victims.However,I wish relevant authorities RTSA/POLICE should take a very serious action for the bus owner who seem to abuse his employees.And if it is true it is discovered that the bus operator has been ranting and vuvuzeling that he is connected as well as he offers kickbacks to PF he then needs to explain who he gives and receives the cash.Further,long distance drivers require rests but it is surprising to note the same drivers are allowed to proceed after a trip and as a result of fatigue hence,these horrible fatal accidents that often happen on the roads besides most young drivers today are half baked compare to the old days when bus and lorry drivers were of age and responsible…
For whatever reason,Mazhandu has bn on the spotlight for some time now n no tangible action has seen to have been taken…. So we might as well speculate that there is an underhand involved….
imebo taamukandiboni ku kwela Mazhandu Bus , ndinokwela Euro-Africa og Shalom Kwamana.
m k that is the only way to teach them a lesson.
The Drivers union is compromised by Bus owners…