MASVINGO — A recent survey conducted by a local NGO network alliance, Kubatana.net, has shown that a large number of road users and motorists wanted drivers in President Robert Mugabe’s motorcade to move at a moderate speed to avoid road traffic accidents.
The survey came hardly a month after the Presidential motorcade was involved in three fatal accidents within a short space of time.
According to Kubatana.net, 200 of its subscribers, including journalists, lawyers and other human rights and social justice activists, responded via text messages and e-mail saying the motorcade should slow down instead of motorists and other road users being pushed out of the road each time it passes by.
“Following reports of the third accident by Zimbabwe’s Presidential motorcade in two weeks, we sent an SMS to our subscribers asking their opinion: Should the motorcade slow down or should we get out of the way?” One of the comments read: “Mugabe should slow down. Why is he always in a hurry? Our roads are no good for Formula 1 races! If he has too many duties he should be pruned of some.”
Another one read: “The motorcade is just too large. For starters, let it be cut. The man is secure enough for God’s sake. There is no need for such a huge motorcade in this peaceful country? It is very disturbing on the roads, we get off the road each time we meet the motorcade.”
Others urged Mugabe to fly instead of travelling by road.
However, a third of those who voted in support of Mugabe’s motorcade urged ordinary motorists to slow down and pull off the road in observance of the siren rule.
“Let us be out of the way. The Highway Code teaches that when the siren sounds for whatever reason pull off. It’s good for us to get out of the road because if we don’t it’s also us the public who end up being injured.”
