The Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) is saddened by the death of 12 people in a road accident on Solwezi – Mutanda road near Mutanda Mission today.
Preliminary accident investigations conducted by the RTSA have revealed that the accident was caused due to a tyre burst and overspending.
The driver of the Toyota Hiace registration number ACT 1199, Simon Sinkamba failed to control the vehicle after a tyre burst and hit into the oncoming Iveco truck registration number AOB 230.
The accident investigation has also revealed that the driver was driving at excessive speed.
The bus was overloaded hence exerting more pressure on the tyres.
“Our investigations have further established that the driver of the bus was pirating as the bus is not licensed to operate as a Public Service Vehicle (PSV) and that the driver did not have the appropriate class of driver’s licence to carry passengers,” RTSA Spokesman Fredrick Mubanga said in a statement.
Police deputy Spokesperson Rea Hamoonga says among those who have died are five females,six males and one juvenile.
Mr Hamoonga said three of the deceased have since been identified as Mervis Mwambi aged 43, Webby Diara 22, and a 22 year old male only identified as Mukuya.
He said the driver of the truck escaped unhurt while eight other victims are admitted to Solwezi General Hospital.
The driver of the minibus is among the dead.
Too bad. RIP
Instead of shooting UPND supporters, the Police Force should spend more time patrolling roads for unlicensed drivers and unroadworthy vehicles.
Was one juvenile male or female or non of the above?
Unlicensed and overloaded bus, and unlicensed driver. A terrible combination, and deadly recipe for disaster. Most likely there are many more vehicles like this one, being operated by unlicensed drivers on Zambian roads. The fact that the offending driver died saved him from prosecution. In the future, drivers who illegally pirate, and cause accidents that lead to passenger deaths, should be charged with murder and given life sentences. Zambia should also introduce 24/7 highway patrol police to monitor over-speeding and other traffic violations. A lot of these senseless accidents could be prevented that way.
Another head-on collision simply by looking at that second photo and a case of reckless over-speeding….I take it this visionless gov’t will cough up money again for funeral costs.These greedy empty tins are simply interested in construct overpriced poorly designed road at $1 million dollars per kilometer.
Is Edgar among the dead? Just asking nothing malicious or bad wishes.
kkkkkkkk,,, Good one.
Anxiously waiting for briefing from ZP, but its knwn tat Lungu is dead scared of losing elections.
HH making his blood sacrifices? or is it someone in PF?
ECL is already de presdo now mansonist hh is the one trying plot one so he is sucrficimg pipo to his grand master in the grand lodge scotch whisk knows.
RSTA STATEMENTS ARE TOO CONFUSING, A TOYOTA HILUX HAD TIRE BURST LOST CONTROL HEAD ON WITH A TRUCK OR BUS? WHO WAS OVERSPEEDING TRUCK,BUS,TOYOTA HILUX?? How many vehicles were involved? Was HH in the Truck or Hilux what about ECL , MULIOKELA IS HE AMONG THE 12? SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
You selfsame empty tin cadre should stay away from ganja.
I thank you
Where are you getting Hilux information? or is it your mind cheating on you? My friend a Hiace is a mini bus.
These accidents have now become a regular occurrences to the point it is now a norm. You can even tell from bloggers making jokes about the accident, yet there are real people who lost their lives.
What about banning these small vans from being used as public transport vehicles and really policing road traffic without any corruption and bribery. The fact the driver had no license and was driving a not road worth vehicle is problematic. He should have discovered and stopped before so many people died. It’s ridiculous and something really needs to be done urgently.
It is not all about the selfsame incompetency of the cadre RATSA, the blame also squarely falls on you natives.A combination of speed, road surface quality and tire quality contributed to this accident.Probably the selfsame bus had an unbalanced wheels resulting in tire heating and bursting or the selfsame tire was either over inflated or under-inflated causing frictional heating of the tire.Selfsame cadre RATSA should carry out sensitization regarding this issues.Selfsame cadre drivers should respect speed limits.Selfsame bully government should ensure roads are smoothly surfaced, probably using bitumen and not concrete roads which are rough.My selfsame people parish because of ignorance.Take care of your tires,do wheel balancing.do not use retreaded second hand tires with normal ones or…
Cont: or worn out ones.Ever heard of the tread wear indicator.Empty tin traffic police impound vehicles of worn out tires.Cadre RATSA,if this accident did not happen, we probably could not have known that the driver was not licensed to drive PSV.So all natives should now do their own vehicle inspections.If the selfsame vehicle is not road worth, do not get in it.Check for worn out tires,driver soberness e.t.c.Remember it is your life at stake.#Ignore bribes
I thank you
RATSA saddened again, my foot!!! I have lost count of these saddenings. From the post-bus disaster, to the Zimba Noah bus fatalities, to the numerous Kapiri road carnages, to the Mazhandu and Wada Chovu bloodbooths, name them; yet all we hear from RATSA for the umpteenth time is … “we are saddened.” About time this animal called RATSA stood on it’s two balls and did something real. Parroting saddenings won’t stop this blood letting. You and the traffic police allowed that unregistered bus to criss-cross your check points yet you want to fool us with crocodile tears. Mwe ndoshi mwee!!
Too bad 4 da loss of innocent souls.Un-licenced Dvr.Hw did he pass thru rd blocks kanshi?Abantu dey r jst dying like flies muli ifi fimotoka……awe kweena cacila….ninshi kansi…?Mwe Lesa twafweni tata.!!!
MTSRIP.Human error again…..Wat is causing dis?
GOVT SHOULD BAN THE IMPORTATION AND SALE OF SECOND HAND TYRES AS IN MOST CASES THEY ARE OF EXPIRED TYPE. THERE IS NEED FOR RTSA TO INCREASE THEIR ENFORCEMENT EFFORT IN NORTH WESTERN PROVINCE PARTICULARY IN THE AREAS BETWEEN MUSHINDAMO – SOLWEZI, SOLWEZI – KALUMBILA – KISASA- LUMWANA WEST. THERE IS A LOT OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES AND EVERY JIM AND JACK IS NOW ABLE TO AFFORD A SALAULA CAR AND THERE IS A LOT OF EXCITEMENT FOR ONE TO BE SEEN DRIVING AROUND ON THE HIGH WAYS. WE ARE YET TO SEE MORE AND WORSE ACCIDENTS IN THAT PART OF THE COUNTRY. TWELVE DEADS DUE TO RTA IN AN AREA LIKE SOLWEZI IS A BIG DISASTER. DRUNK DRIVING IS ALSO VERY COMMON IN THAT AREA AMONG ROAD USERS.
The masonists in red berets drunk with human blood are a danger to Zambia.They have killed 12 people in solwezi and in kalomo they have killed their own Hon Muntanga the hero whom they feared that he may take over the up and down party.
It is not strange to find bus attendants busy drinking alcohol while the buses are filling up. One bus was loading at inter city and I was advised by the people around that the bus was the worst in terms of road fitness. The guys from RTSA were packed near the outlet gate but still, this bus, with worn out tyres found its way out to Chipata. By the grace of the Lord, the old lady I had escorted to the station reached destination without incidence. The one million dollar question is: What does the presence of the Police serve at these stations if they can allow buses to load even when they are defective? Am sure the police can do a better job than just complaining when the salary is late by a few days.
sad development
Some comments are better kept in your dirty minds ba mambala even if opinions are respected but its too much. You must comment on what you have understood after reading with understanding. Nipati balemba hilux, didnt u read that it was the mini bus that was overspeading and hit an Iveco truck? Alah!
Why aren’t citizens taking responsibility for their actions? Why should RTSA come and stop you from peeing into your cooking pot? Is it their responsibility to ensure that you don’t overload, that your tyres are properly inflated and that your speed is in check? What kind of society is this that thinks if law enforcement is not nearby then they will do all sorts of illegal things? I still don’t understand some levels of thinking…
IN AS MUCH AS HUMAN ERROR IS TO BLAME IN MANY OF THE ACCIDENTS WE HAVE EXPERIENCED, OUR ROADS ARE A MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS TO THESE ACCIDENTS. MY ADVICE TO THOSE RESPONSIBLE WOULD BE:
1. THE DESIGN OF OUR ROADS – LACK OF SHOULDERS, IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY, DRIVER HAS NO SPACE TO RUN TO
2. POOR STATE OF ROADS SUCH AS SOLWEZI, KAFUE MAZABUKA, LUSAKA KABWE ROADS MUST BE ADDRESSED TO CURB ACCIDENTS.
3. SERENJE MPIKA ROAD IS TOO NARROW, NEEDS EXPANSION ON THE SIDES
4. BAN THE USE OF SPOT LIGHTS BY MOTORISTS, THESE ARE CONTRIBUTING TOO MANY HEAD-ON COLLISIONS AS THE OTHER DRIVER IS BLINDED BY THESE SPOT LIGHTS AND ENDS UP GETTING INTO THE WRONG LANE.
5. LACK OF PACKING SLOTS FOR VEHICLES THAT BREAKDOWN ON THE ROAD, THESE ARE USUALLY LEFT ON THE MAIN WAY AND THEY IN TURN CAUSE ACCIDENTS
6. TOO…
A tyre burst and “overspending” caused the accident! LT journalism!