Applying the brakes on road carnage

A rise in fatalities caused by reckless drivers of minibus 'kombi' taxis has prompted the Swazi authorities and media to join in a crusade against what the public are calling "mobile coffins".

"The problems concerning the kombi drivers are multiplying by the day," said Minister of Transportation Elijah Shongwe at a memorial service for nine people who died last week in a kombi accident 15km east of the commercial city, Manzini, in central Swaziland.

The accident was typical of those involving the 12-seater minibuses most people use as public transport. The driver was speeding and lost control when trying to overtake a bus, ploughing into a brick-built bus shelter.

The driver died in hospital, but rather than using the opportunity to reflect on their behaviour behind the wheel, his colleagues attacked the bus driver for getting in the way.

"The kombi drivers are a law unto themselves. They believe that because they earn their livelihoods on the roads, they own the roads, and every other vehicle is an interloper," said commuter David Nhlabatsi, a Manzini resident.

"Most Swazis are too poor to have cars, so we must either take kombis or walk. But no week goes by when you don't read about a fatal kombi crash. We are frightened as passengers," he added.

However, another passenger, Zelda Dube, said commuters were also to blame for the accidents because some urged drivers to speed, and tolerated overloading, cramming themselves into departing taxis rather than waiting for the next vehicle.

According to the World Health Organization, road crash victims are disproportionately young, male and poor, with limited access to post-crash emergency medical care. In economic terms, the cost of crash injuries is estimated at roughly one percent of gross national product (GNP) in low-income countries. In the case of Swaziland's neighbours - Malawi and South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province - studies indicate that the cost could be as high as five percent of GNP.

The transportation minister said he would meet with the Swaziland Commercial Amadoda Road Transport Association, to urge their members to meet safety standards. Shongwe added that two new pieces of legislation, a Road Transportation Bill and a Traffic Bill, which would improve road safety by increasing fines for traffic offences and unroadworthy vehicles, were stalled in parliament.

As an example of current weak traffic laws, which critics say are no deterrent, a kombi driver who overloaded his taxi to double its capacity and was driving without a road permit, was arrested at the weekend and paid the maximum fine of R240 (US$40).

Corruption is also to blame for Swaziland's dangerous roads. Last week five driving inspectors were suspended for issuing certificates to unqualified kombi drivers, which would have enabled them to apply for licenses.

[SOUTHERN AFRICA: Special report on road traffic injury prevention]