WINDHOEK: The leadership of the Namibia Traffic Management Solutions’ (NTMS) entity have once again reiterated their call for a Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the increasing number of accidents on the country’s national roads.
NTMS Managing Director Felix Tjozongoro initially made the call for the establishment of such a commission to look into the increasing number of accidents and fatalities in the capital last week.
The NTMS leader told a media briefing here on Tuesday afternoon that the leadership of his organisation decided to repeat their call after they realised that road accidents are on the increase, and deaths recorded to date because of accidents are a huge concern to both the organisation and the Namibian nation at large.
Tjozongoro said accidents have resulted in a total of 359 fatalities from January to September this year.
Quoting Motor-Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA) statistics, he said this means one person is killed on Namibia’s national roads every day.
“The situation on our national roads is a very serious concern to the NTMS, and the public in general. This situation is a very serious challenge, and it cannot be left unchallenged,” he said as he called on the Office of President Hifikepunye Pohamba for immediate intervention to save the lives of innocent people.
He went on to state that the current increase in accidents and fatalities on the roads need the intervention of someone in the country’s highest office, and with proper authority to help rescue the situation.
”On Namibia’s tourism sector side… we are losing more than 10 visiting foreign tourists on our national roads every year. Should this not also be a worry to the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah?” the NTMS leader asked.Namibia has seen quite a number of road accidents, in which more than 10 people lost their lives at once this year.
“In an accident that took place on the Okahandja-Karibib road in which a bakkie collided with a sedan, more than 10 people died. Just outside Swakopmund on the road to Usakos, two sedans were involved in an accident – again more than 10 people died. Last week, on the Okahandja-Otjiwarongo road, about 10 people lost their lives,” explained Tjozongoro.
He, therefore, wanted to know if all the above-mentioned facts with regard to the increase in accidents and fatalities on the country’s national roads do not worry the transport officials at the Ministry of Works and Transport, Cabinet Ministers or even the Namibian Head of State.“We need the Namibian Government to really take action and intervene to help reduce the accidents, fatalities and other related sufferings emanating from the occurrence of accidents on our national roads. The government needs to step in,” he noted.
He said a commission, if established, will bring more information to light on the situation.“Issues that will be highlighted by the commission will inform Government on where the problem lies with regards to the increase of road accidents and fatalities,” he continued. The call for a commission by the NTMS has been shot down by Minister of Works and Transport Erkki Nghimtina, who last week said a presidential commission of inquiry into road accidents would only regurgitate what is already known, and it would not result in tangible actions.