Rundu commemorates death of 28 people in horror crash

RUNDU – Hundreds of mourners from all walks of life yesterday flocked to the Memorial Park here to commemorate the death of 28 people who died in a bus accident about 35 kilometres north of Grootfontein on May 31 last year.

Among those who attended the event were Minister of Finance Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Minister of Safety and Security Peter Tsheehama and Works, Transport and Communication Minister Joel Kaapanda. Speaking at the commemoration, Kaapanda said road safety remained a priority of his ministry.He said his ministry had directed the Road Safety Council to revise the draft policy on road safety to come up with a policy that could address road safety in a holistic and integrated manner in order to reduce accidents on the country’s national roads.”Kindly be assured, fellow mourners, that my ministry will leave no stone unturned in our quest to bring safety to our roads network,” Kaapanda emphasised.He said his ministry was assisted in this regard by various stakeholders such as the Safety and Security Ministry, municipal councils, the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund, the Roads Authority, the Road Safety Council and some corporate institutions.He then applauded the ‘Operation Ngambeka’ Easter road-safety campaign, saying its results were encouraging since only a few accidents were reported during the Easter weekend.Kaapanda said the socio-economic cost of road accidents cannot be overemphasised, and drunken driving, overloading, speeding and reckless driving were responsible for most accidents.”These behaviours should be fought tooth and nail and culprits should be given severe punishment,” he said.Meanwhile, Safety and Security Minister Peter Tsheehama has called on passengers to take a more active role in the safety of public transport.He said passengers should not get onto overloaded vehicles, and had the right to tell drivers to slow down if they drove too fast.”Let everybody in this country contribute positively to the reduction of tragic accidents,” the minister said.- NampaSpeaking at the commemoration, Kaapanda said road safety remained a priority of his ministry.He said his ministry had directed the Road Safety Council to revise the draft policy on road safety to come up with a policy that could address road safety in a holistic and integrated manner in order to reduce accidents on the country’s national roads.”Kindly be assured, fellow mourners, that my ministry will leave no stone unturned in our quest to bring safety to our roads network,” Kaapanda emphasised.He said his ministry was assisted in this regard by various stakeholders such as the Safety and Security Ministry, municipal councils, the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund, the Roads Authority, the Road Safety Council and some corporate institutions.He then applauded the ‘Operation Ngambeka’ Easter road-safety campaign, saying its results were encouraging since only a few accidents were reported during the Easter weekend.Kaapanda said the socio-economic cost of road accidents cannot be overemphasised, and drunken driving, overloading, speeding and reckless driving were responsible for most accidents.”These behaviours should be fought tooth and nail and culprits should be given severe punishment,” he said.Meanwhile, Safety and Security Minister Peter Tsheehama has called on passengers to take a more active role in the safety of public transport.He said passengers should not get onto overloaded vehicles, and had the right to tell drivers to slow down if they drove too fast.”Let everybody in this country contribute positively to the reduction of tragic accidents,” the minister said.- Nampa