The Price of Irresponsible Driving: A Call for Traffic Enforcement in Zimbabwe

Yesterday, on the road back to Harare, tragedy struck. Two heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) collided head-on at the Rusape Bridge in what can only be described as a catastrophic accident. The devastation was complete—there was almost nothing left of the cabs. Both drivers, and any passengers who may have been with them, were killed outright. If the collision didn’t claim their lives, they would have drowned, trapped in their vehicles as they sank into the river.

This accident is yet another example of the reckless and inherently irresponsible driving behaviours plaguing Zimbabwe’s roads. One can only assume that at least one of these drivers was speeding or overtaking in oncoming traffic—an all-too-common sight on our highways. The result? Lives were needlessly lost. This tragedy could have been avoided with a moment of caution, a moment of due care and attention.

As a former member of the Zimbabwe Republic Police POLICON, I have witnessed my fair share of road accidents, and nothing about them gets easier. When I passed the scene yesterday, knowing hours earlier of the horror that had unfolded, my gut clenched. Memories of an accident I attended in 1999, long buried in the recesses of my mind, came rushing back. I remember that scene vividly—broken glass, mangled metal, and lives abruptly ended. Yesterday’s tragedy brought it all flooding back.

I watched the officers on site. Their heads hung low, shoulders heavy with the weight of another life-altering scene. I know from experience that these moments stay with you—they never leave. For those who bear witness to these tragedies, it is a constant reminder of just how fragile life is, and how preventable these losses often are.

The reality is this: Zimbabwe’s roads have become a dangerous arena. Drivers operate with reckless abandon, showing little regard for the safety of others. Since returning to Zimbabwe in May, I have been appalled by the lack of road discipline. Speeding, dangerous overtaking, failure to signal, and ignoring basic rules of the road have become disturbingly commonplace. This isn’t just negligence—it’s a blatant disregard for human life.

This is why we need urgent and effective traffic enforcement. We need more speed traps. We need more patrols. We need traffic enforcement officers stationed on both city streets and rural highways. Communities, too, have a role to play in supporting these efforts and observing their civic duty.

Human lives depend on traffic policing. Without it, tragedies like the one at Rusape Bridge will only continue. How many more lives must be lost before we act?

Let this serve as a call to action. To every road user in Zimbabwe: respect the rules of the road and work together to make our roads safer. The solution lies in collective responsibility.

As I write this, my heart is heavy with grief for the lives lost yesterday. But grief must translate into action. We must do better—for the drivers, for the passengers, for the families who will never see their loved ones again.

The time to act is now. Better traffic enforcement is not just a policy—it’s a lifesaving necessity.