The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) says road traffic accidents declined sharply during the 2026 Heroes and Defence Forces Holidays compared to the same period last year, attributing the improvement to intensified road safety awareness campaigns.
ZRP spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi on Friday, 14 August, said that statistics for accidents recorded from 10th to 11th August 2026 showed a notable decline across all categories except fatal accidents.
A total of 145 road traffic accidents were recorded during the two-day holiday this year, compared with 196 during the same period in 2025. This represents a decrease of 51 accidents, or approximately 26 per cent.
The number of fatal road traffic accidents remained unchanged at 13 in both 2025 and 2026.
However, the number of people killed declined from 24 in 2025 to 18 in 2026, a reduction of six deaths, which is 25 per cent.
The number of people injured also fell significantly from 96 in 2025 to 51 in 2026, a reduction of 45 people, approximately 46.9 per cent.
Commissioner Nyathi revealed that of the 18 fatalities recorded, none involved public service vehicles, with half of them involving private or family-owned vehicles.
“Of the 18 fatalities recorded, none involved public service vehicles. Nine involved private or family-owned vehicles, while the remaining eight involved three lorries, two ox-drawn scotch carts, a tractor and a motorcycle,” he said.
“The major causes of road traffic accidents recorded during the period were largely linked to human error and unsafe driving behaviour.
“These included driver inattention or misjudgement, speeding, following too closely, dangerous overtaking, failure to give way and reckless or negligent driving.
“Other contributing factors included driver fatigue, vehicle defects, poor road conditions and pedestrian negligence.
“Speeding and reckless driving were particularly major causes in fatal road traffic accidents recorded during the period.”
According to Commissioner Nyathi, one of the fatal accidents occurred at approximately 4:30 PM on 11 August 2026 at the 279-kilometre peg along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road.
“A motorist driving a Mazda T35 carrying 29 passengers allegedly lost control of the vehicle, resulting in it veering off the road and crashing into the river bank. Four (04) passengers died on the spot, while 12 others sustained injuries,” he said.
The ZRP has commended motorists and all other road users for the improved road safety behaviour exhibited during the 2026 Heroes and Defence Forces Holidays.
Police urged motorists to sustain the positive behaviour beyond the holiday period by observing prescribed speed limits, avoiding dangerous overtaking, exercising patience and refraining from driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
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