In a move to address the growing number of road traffic accidents and fatalities in Zimbabwe, the government has announced plans to raise the minimum age requirement for drivers of public service vehicles, such as buses and kombis (minibuses).
Under the proposed changes, the minimum age for these drivers will be increased from 25 to 30 years old. The government hopes that this will ensure that only mature and experienced drivers are behind the wheel of public transportation.
Speaking in the Senate last Thursday, Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Felix Mhona expressed concern over the country's alarming accident statistics. "We are losing close to 2,000 lives per year due to fatalities, which is not sustainable," he said. "This is also causing a significant financial burden, with an estimated $406 million lost annually towards fatalities, injuries, and hospitalizations."
Minister Mhona noted that within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, the minimum age for public service vehicle drivers is 30 years. "We are now advocating to increase our age limit to 30 years in order to address the overzealousness of some of these younger drivers," he explained.
The proposal has received support from commuters, who have witnessed the reckless driving behaviors of some younger public transportation operators. "Some of these young bus drivers treat the vehicles like sports cars, and they don't listen when you try to get them to slow down," said Ms. Molleen Muzekezeke of Glen View 7.
However, the Zimbabwe Union of Drivers and Conductors (ZUDCO) president, Fradreck Maguramhinga, raised concerns about the lack of drivers over the age of 25 in the country. "While we understand the need for more mature drivers, we have very mature drivers between 25 and 30 years old," he said. "The majority of the reckless drivers are below 25, so we propose maintaining the 25-year age limit for smaller public service vehicles like commuter omnibuses."
The government's legal department is currently working with the Attorney General's office to finalize the details of the proposed age limit changes for public transportation drivers in Zimbabwe.
