Maputo — The Mozambican Transport Ministry has given passenger transport operators a further 45 days to fix mechanical problems with their vehicles.

The initial deadline was the end of March. By then the operators should have fixed all mechanical defects and cleaned up the vehicles so that the passengers were no longer sitting in filthy conditions.

But few operators took much notice of this deadline. So, rather than take non-compliant vehicles off the roads, the Ministry just extended the deadline, adding 45 days to the original 60 days.

The National Director of Transport and Safety, Fernando Ouana, cited in the independent daily "O Pais', said the context did not allow compliance with the 60 day deadline.

"The transporters asked for more time, so that they could comply with actions recommended', he said.

One of the Ministry's demands is that all inter-city buses should be equipped with on-board toilets, but the operators are making excuses not to make the necessary alterations.

"We have some buses with bathrooms, but we're not using them', said Castigo Nhamane, chairperson of the Mozambican Federation of Road Transport Associations (Fematro)

His excuse was the smell. "For example, a journey from Maputo to Nampula takes three days, and if the bathroom was in use, it would not be tolerable to stay inside the bus', he claimed.

In other words, the bus companies do not want to pay the added cost of keeping on-board toilets clean.

As for mechanical defects, the operators say they are willing to keep buses in good working order - but they claim that the major obstacle is the poor condition of the roads.

The new 45 day deadline for fixing the vehicles is counted as from 27 March. The Ministry warns that operators who do not comply will have their licences suspended and, in the worst cases, may be banned from the roads altogether.