PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has directed government departments and agencies responsible for road safety to urgently coordinate efforts to curb rising fatalities on Zimbabwe's roads following three major accidents in five days which killed 24 people.
In a recent statement, Mnangagwa described the recent crashes, including a latest head-on collision involving a bus and a haulage truck along the Gokwe-Kwekwe Road which claimed 10 lives as a bloody trail.
The President ordered authorities to accelerate the revival of road maintenance units across the country while availing resources towards rehabilitation of damaged roads and highways.
"I am also directing Government to speed up the re-establishment of road maintenance units across the country, and to avail adequate resources for impactful remedial work on our weather-damaged highways and roads," he said.
Mnangagwa also called for drastic interventions targeting reckless driving and unroadworthy vehicles.
"This grave turn of mishaps on our roads must exercise our collective conscience and spur Government Departments and Agencies involved in ensuring road safety to act with urgency and greater coordination so the carnage is stopped.
"The latest spate of accidents calls for drastic measures and lasting solutions targeting irresponsible behaviour and un-roadworthy vehicles on our roads," said Mnangagwa.
Zimbabwe has recorded a surge in fatal road traffic accidents in recent years, with poor road infrastructure, speeding, human error and unroadworthy public transport vehicles among the major causes blamed for the increasing carnage.