THE Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has with immediate effect revoked driving licences for ten passenger Public Service Vehicle (PSV) drivers for violating the provisions of the Road Traffic Act No. 11 of 2002.
This comes in the wake of the conclusion of the investigation process surrounding the conduct of the affected drivers, which in the view of the Agency, have proved that the drivers failed to advance reasonable causes or responses as to why their licences should not be revoked for putting the lives of the passengers and other road users in serious danger.
In a statement, RTSA head of public relations Fredrick Mubanga said the agency is exercising Section 68(1) (a) of the Road Traffic Act No. 11 of 2002, which empowers the Agency to revoke a driving licence, if in the opinion of the Director, the conduct or character of the holder of such a licence is rendered to be unfit to drive such a vehicle from the point of view of the safety of the public.
He affected drivers include Timothy Shawa of Kalahari Trans Zambia Limited, who on 14th February 2022, while driving a fuel tanker truck along the Great North Road failed to stop at a railway crossing and collided with a goods train resulting in the loss of two lives.
Mr Mubanga said the agency has also revoked the driving licence for Andrew Musa for abrogating Statutory Instrument No.76 of 2016, which prohibits the movement of Public Service Vehicles at night, and subsequently causing a road traffic crash in which seven (07) people died.
“The other affected drivers are Shepherd Ganya, Webby Siame, Sanalami Mwanza, Boyd Chewe, Lazarus Katota, Matanda Lungu and David Mwansa all whose driving licenses have been revoked for being habitual offenders of the offence of exceeding speed limits contrary to the Road Traffic Act No. 11 of 2002. According to the Global Position System (GPS), monitored by the RTSA, the affected drivers violated speed limits on several occasions driving at speeds of between 120 km/h to 220 km/h against the prescribed speed limit for PSV buses on highways which is 100 km/h, thus posing serious danger to the passengers and other road users,” he said.
And the RTSA has also revoked the PSV driving licence for Bwalya Mwansa for driving in a dangerous manner on 11th February 2022 by overtaking several trucks on a solid line on the Great North Road, a stretch that had heavy traffic, without regard to other road users, thereby risking the safety of the passengers.
Mr Mubanga said the Agency has given three passenger transport operators a 30 days ultimatum, effective 6th April 2022, to put in place effective measures for monitoring the movement of their buses, including the aspect of speed monitoring through GPS, adherence to SI No. 76 of 2016 and SI No. 51 of 2021 which restricts the movement PSVs at night, between 22:00 hours and 04:00 hours, ensure strict adherence to the RTSA’s Fleet Safety Management Policy and all the terms and conditions under which the Road Service Licenses were granted.
He said after 30 days, a team of RTSA officers will check compliance with the foregoing directive, failure to which, the Agency will have no option but to suspend the Road Service Licences.
Mr Mubanga said the affected operators include Nicpro Trading and Transport Services, P Mwansa Bus Services and Magodi Lodge Limited trading as FM Bus Services.
(Mwebantu, Thursday, 7th April, 2022)
