By Bernard Mutambudzi

President, Emmerson Mnangagwa today issued a condolence message to the bereaved families of yesterday`s Rusape bus accident victims which claimed 47 lives.

It reads, “I learnt with sadness of the death last night of 47 innocent souls in a traffic accident along the Harare- Mutare  highway.

That so many lives were lost in just one traffic incident raises serious questions about the behaviour  on our roads, especially  that of those responsible  for offering and operating passenger services. The use of vehicles that are not roadworthy or drivers who do not seem to care for passenger safety. Amount to a criminal breach of trust between bus operators and paying commuters who expect and deserve safe transit.

Both the responsible Ministry and our law enforcement agents must use this bloody accident to close in on all those bus operators and road users who put profit and speed above life, thus causing avoidable carnage on our roads. Equally, the rampant lawlessness now evident on our highways and especially on our dense roads, must now meet with a robust response from our traffic enforcement agents whose duty it is to ensure a culture of compliance and safety on  all our roads.

The cost to our Nation by way of life and limb simply cannot be allowed to continue unchecked.

In view of the magnitude of the loss of human life in this one incident. I have since directed that the responsible Ministry takes steps to declare this accident a national disaster  in order  to enable the mobilisation  of resources both for the  treatment of all those injured and for support to families which have lost their loved ones.

That so many lives were lost in just one traffic raises questions about the behaviour on our roads especially that of those responsible for offering and operating passenger’s services.

On behalf of Government, my family and on my own behalf , I wish to  express my heartfelt condolences to all  those who have lost their  loved ones in the is bloody  accident. In the same spirit, I wish all those injured in the accident speedy recovery.”