AFTER years of crying for good roads, Beitbridge residents are now bearing the
brunt of what comes with such roads – speeding motorists!
Hardly a day passes in Beitbridge without a report of an accident where a life is lost,
someone seriously injured or vehicles damaged beyond repair.
Such accidents, as usual leave some lasting scars on families, a people together
and have an adverse impact on national and economic progress.
And such are the negative impacts of development and the beautiful modern roads
Beitbridge people yearned for.
The modernisation of Beitbridge, long overdue, included a wide dual motorway that
allows fast movement of traffic to avoid border congestion that had become
synonymous with Zimbabwe and the SADC regions busiest port.
Human error is, however, a major contribution when excited drivers speed through
the five kilometre stretch of the highway leading to and from the Beitbridge Border
Post through urban Beitbridge.
The road is a beauty and one can easily mistake it for an autobahn, the German
version of a freeway, where motorists cruise at unbelievable speeds perhaps just
suitable for race tracks or fiction movies.
Such is the scenario from the traffic circle junction of the Harare – Bulawayo roads
now nightmarish for pedestrians, the level headed drivers and slow motorists.
Blame has been laid mostly on motorists from South Africa, whose behaviours
behind the wheel are almost uniform, perhaps triggered by their otherwise superior
roads.
Truck and bus drivers take another large portion of the blame being found in most
accidents occurring at a newly established four-way stop they disrespect.
That junction previously controlled by a traffic light features the internationally
recommended four way stop pattern as the country adopts the SADC protocol on
roads insignia.
We are worried about speeding motorists and have, as a town recorded, some
accidents. We are at the moment doing our homework to see how best we can tame
the dangerous speeds. We have to consult and make recommendations to the
Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development," Beitbridge Town Clerk, Loud
Ramakgapola, said.
We have schoolchildren crossing the busy road and we are happy traffic police are
assisting but we need long-term plans. We need to have international standards of

pedestrian over road bridges. We are looking at options which also include speed
humps but mostly we appeal to motorists to be human, above all things," he said.
Ramakgapola said there was need for police to ensure the four-way stop intersection
where the first in, first out system is observed.
"This requires some strict implementation where police go on a blitz. Yes, we have
seen them but it needs to be regular and a bit harsh. We have people who
disrespect traffic signs despite that a silly mistake can cause the loss of many lives,"
said one resident.
Several people on social media called on the Municipality of Beitbridge to have
speed humps erected on the sections of the road where pedestrians frequent.
Although no deaths have been reported, at least five school children from St
Joseph’s Primary School were injured when they were hit by speeding cars as they
crossed the road on their way to school.
Five or more deaths, including that of a Beitbridge Rural District Council worker on
her way to work, have been recorded on the section of the road and residents
believe a single death is one too many.