“Tame the Traffic Jungle” – more arrested
Peter Matika
@petematika
A TOTAL of 51 608 people have been arrested by police in the ongoing nationwide crackdown on traffic law offenders under the “Tame the Traffic Jungle” operation, which seeks to restore order and sanity on the country’s roads.
A total of 1 424 arrests have also been made on vehicles without route permits, while 16 752 arrests have been made on illegal pirate taxis (mushikashika) since the launch of the operation on 12 September..
In a statement on X police also noted that 351 motorists have been arrested for reckless driving.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi is on record for waging war on errant motorists.
“We will rain down on these offenders and they must be warned that police will not be lenient. A lot of lives have been lost due to this recklessness and disregard for lives,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.
He said the major culprits of recklessness are kombi and pirate taxi drivers.
“Licensed public service vehicles are contributing to the chaos and congestion by loading and unloading passengers at undesignated points and openly endangering the lives of the public through reckless conduct at controlled road intersections and traffic lights. We are concerned with motorists who are so reckless to the extent of giving no regard to traffic regulations. You will find some motorists daringly ignoring traffic signs and regulations. For instance, you may find a motorist driving along a one-way lane opposing traffic and endangering the lives of not just themselves but those of other road users,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police urges the public to cooperate with police officers and relevant stakeholders in order to bring sanity to the country’s roads and Central Business Districts. The public is free to report errant drivers on National Complaints Desk number (0242) 703631 or WhatsApp number 0712 800 197,” said Asst Com Nyathi.
