Sabhuku Bako

This is Zimbabwe’s Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Daniel Garwe, at the scene of Friday’s accident, which killed 27 people in Zimbabwe on the Harare to South Africa highway. I have the utmost respect for the culture, traditions and customs of any society. But appealing to our ancestors to solve problems that require human intervention is foolish. Cultural observance cannot substitute for practical action and accountability. Police say the truck was attempting to overtake another vehicle when it collided head-on with the minibus. This demands a serious conversation about dangerous driving, road design and the enforcement of safety rules. ⁠ A two-lane road, with one lane in each direction, should not be the limit of our ambition for a major international highway linking Zimbabwe and South Africa. Zimbabwe needs properly engineered dual carriageways, with central crash barriers separating opposing traffic. These barriers help prevent vehicles from crossing into oncoming traffic and can significantly reduce such collisions. Federal Highway Administration⁠ Alongside those improvements, we need proper vehicle inspections and strict enforcement against overloading, speeding and dangerous overtaking. Drivers, transport operators and public officials must all take responsibility. We cannot expect our ancestors or God to compensate for our refusal to address preventable dangers. No ritual will widen a road, install a crash barrier or make an overloaded vehicle safe. Those things require planning, investment, enforcement and competent leadership. The further tragedy is that our black children are growing up believing that only things managed by white people work because they repeatedly see us failing to manage even the basics, including maintaining and expanding infrastructure we inherited in 1980. That would be a false and damaging lesson. Competence has no race. But we must demonstrate that through the quality of our leadership, our institutions and the services we deliver. Our children should grow up seeing that we can build, maintain and manage a country that works. They deserve more than explanations for failure, and bereaved families deserve more than condolences after every disaster. Respect our ancestors, certainly. But honour the dead by taking responsibility for protecting the living. Asking them to protect us when we can do it ourselves is the greatest sign of disrespect to our ancestors!