President Edgar Lungu says it is unfortunate that 26 people have died in one day, who could have contributed national development.
President Lungu said he is disturbed that a second tragic accident has happened on Kitwe-Kalulushi Road, claiming 14 lives, few hours after the first mishap occurred on Ndola-Kapiri Road leaving 12 people dead.
“It is with deep regret that l have learnt of the second accident which has claimed 14 people bringing the number of those who have died in two separate accidents in one day to 26. I sympathise with the families who have lost their loved ones in this latest disaster,” he said.
And the Head of State has urged the Road Traffic and Safety Agency (RTSA) and Zambia Police Service to ensure that they work closely to bring sanity on the roads across the country.
This is according to a statement released to ZANIS by Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations, Isaac Chipampe.
And the Road Transport and Safety Agency is deeply saddened at the tragic loss of lives following two separate road traffic accidents that have claimed 26 lives today.
12 people died in a road traffic accident when a Rosa Bus collided head-on with a Volvo truck along the Ndola-Kapiri Mposhi road in the early hours of today.
Another fatal road traffic accident was recorded this afternoon around 13:00 hours when a Toyota Hiace minibus collided head-on with a foreign truck along the Kitwe-Kalulushi road leaving fourteen people dead.
RTSA Director and Chief Executive Officer Gladwell Banda has described the two accidents which have claimed a total number of 26 lives as a disaster.
Mr Banda has called for support from all stakeholders to put an end to the spiraling numbers of road traffic accidents which have now become a public health concern.
This is contained in a statement issued to the Media by RTSA Head of Public Relations Fredrick Mubanga.
All these accidents point to something that ain’t right on our roads. Are these roads not the same roads govt has worked on? Drivers must have some self restraint and mind their driving. May the souls if the departed rest in peace. RTSA step up your game on the highways and not just concentrate on the local routes within town.
Lungu all these deaths are under your corrupt watch.
We lost over 46 lives from gassing related incidences. Immediately after gassing seems to stop, terrible accidents have started happening. Are we being sacrificed? May God deliver this nation from the pangs if the devil.
It not enough to just be saddened about a problem! Since you are in charge, what comprehensive plan have you put in place to mitigate against further loss of lives?
What your friends do is they hire and fire! You don’t do that. You allow incompetence to thrive! It’s not enough to just issue directives! Demand action oriented plans! It’s painful to lose 26 lives shortly after losing 50 to gassings within a short period of time!
The battle is spiritual guys. Helen Halogen wants to sacrifice as much as he can so that he can get to plot one. Helen Halogen is targeting copperbelt which is not his strong hold.
Pay attention, hh is targeting non Tonga areas to win elections. Can the church organise another day of prayer and fasting to denounce these accidents and expose the s@t@n1st who happens to be hh
Fellow Zambians, it will be worse when Helen Halogen wins the elections. The whole country will be sacrificed. Shame on Helen Halogen
Let’s learn a lesson from our neighbor Tanzania.
Public service vehicles on inter City routes carry what I will I call time log charts.
A driver is supposed to arrive at certain destination within a stipulated time.
And during the journey traffic police sign on those time log charts.
Accidents on the Tanzanian roads happen but not like on the zambian roads.
A distance of like kapiri moshi to kabwe will have like 5 to 6 traffic road blocks in Tanzania.
President should highlight what specific things Government will do. Such as investigating the incidence to understand what could have transpired… Was it driver error, was it the Chinese roads, was it a terrorist etc.. We dont have a president in our country to lead.. God help us.
@Henry
You have a very small mind but it’s not surprising as PLO rightly pointed out that there is no shortage of 1diot5 in Africa. You ought to add yourself to that list. People connected to PF have been linked to ritual killings as far back as the last general election but you still find a way of dragging HH into your conspiracy theories. Even when the article doesn’t mention his name you still talk about him. What has this man done to you PFools? If you have nothing to say then shut up! Then we won’t know how styiupit and mentally regressed you are. Sell ideas on how to develop the country, not tribal politics. Shame on you!
Talking is cheap Mr. President of Zambia, have you now seen how corruption is ending up. I’m sure this can be attributed to poor road infrastructure due to corrupt tendencies in road construction and tendering process. According to my faith corruption is a curse. When it enters the society, nothing moves well and it shall be suffering after suffering.
Most Zambian roads are deadly and death trap for many motorists. All points to one thing, corruption and poor maintenance. You can buy your luxury cars but driving in potholes can not make them last.
Some comments I sometimes wonder. How can an accident has to do with the the president. Do you know how these bus drivers drive. Stop blaming everything to the President. We had waste roads before and we still had accidents, it is all about attitudes. You have realized that all bus/mini bus drivers wants to act like they are the only ones who have the right to stop anywhere and drive without considering that they are other road users. You will realize that a bus driver will overtake without considering the incoming vehicle
Bad roads I think are good because they reduced accidents, therefore let the government not attend on roads
What did Seer 1 say about accidents?
My country is such a disaster! Nothing good has ever come of it! People need to pull their fingers and start to act like they’ll live for another day.
What a sad day! Hope it does not dilute the important messages of the SONA.
@Phil, don’t you consider yourself good?
Everything starts and ends with Leadership! Everything starts and ends with the in-charge! Zambians are now dying because of that poison of Ubomba Mwibala! It’s shocking how we have grown as a country where corruption is concerned. If you find a Zambian earning their living using honest means, you will be very lucky! Nothing seems to work in our country! Even citizens don’t know whom to report their grievances to. Erring Ministers don’t get fired any more! Citizens have complained many times about the reckless driving by Minibus drivers but nothing gets done! We are a country with the most nuisance roadblocks but nothing changes. To change attitudes requires action-oriented leadership! Fire those that are not performing!
Sometimes we have to blame bad drivers for ignoring traffic rules.If the road is bad slow down or else you will not make it
Mr President,what has haywith your famous $2billion ndola Lusaka duo carriage way. That road in it’s current form is a death trap. You are busy giving Avic contracts to build township roads which have no economic benefits and you neglect economic roads like this one, Livingstone sesheke roads etc. We need action now not Lamentations!!
The state of the Lusaka Ndola route in most sections is covered in Ridges and depressions caused by HEAVY trucks.
Driving along this road is a 50 50 anything can happen, at night it’s worse.
To start mourning people after letting them do on poor roads is hypocrisy.
Shame to RDA and NRFA for stealinh people’s money through Toll Gates and yet not fixing those same Roads.
Adedos why is the Road bad before you blame the driver.
This incompetent clown feigning sympathy again. Nobody is interested. Your sadness will not solve anything, or even your empty sympathy. How many more Zambians will have to needlessly die before you wake up and do something about it? We don’t need your empty sympathy. WE NEED ACTION. Do something concrete about it, to prevent many more needless accidents. That’s what a competent leader does. Such mediocrity !!!
I guess there are different contributing factors and some are :
1. lack of maintenance
2.Poor quality of roads
3.Very heavy trucks- overloaded.
4.:Poor management
5.Dishonesty
Many more
A driver has to drive to condition.Ignore a speed limit of 100 km/h when it is not safe
LUSAKA, I have answered
fuuuucccck you ka chikaaaaaaaalaaaaaa
Sad indeed. But it’s a combination of factors. Even if it were only bad driving, there still is a huge responsibility on government to take effective action to stop it. This has gone on for too long for us to shrug it off as ‘bad driving’. Even bad driving has an underlying cause.
Its the same story all the time if its not a Bus over-speeding …its a Head-on collision on a highway.
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If wehad a serious govt with the money we have borrowed for road upgrades over the last decade these intercity road head on accidents would have been history but we have these crooks like this utterly lazy good for nothing Lungu who happy to spend $1.2 billion on one highway …how many times have we heard this lazy bone say he is saddened I mean driving at night on these roads is like put your life in the hands of the driver of the oncoming vehicle if he is drunk just pray he wakes up and reduces speed to reduce the severity of the collision.
This is why I want this lazy bone Edgar kicked out we can not have 5 more years of this incompetency.
This website needs maintenance like Zambian roads…I mean everything is in disrepair, even simple thumbs up and down doesn’t work properly once you mark down you cant change, replying to a comment is none existent, the website is so porous with virus that company and institutional firewalls deny it access.
Wake you LT Editor!!!!
Make the highways dual carriageway n all these head on collisions will be over. Condolences to the victims families.
Whats happening to the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriageway ? What happened to the Eurobond cash to have undergroung train from KK airport to CBD in Lusaka? Where does the money from the toll gates going to? All these are just a tip of an iceberg questions to be asked before we talk of another commission of enquiry into road mishaps to employ more cadres to continue syphoning cash from the government. Ndipo baPF tinazigong’a. Eiishhh!!!
Disaster!!!