Mozambique: Hauliers want less police corruption to reduce road accidents

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Mozambique: Hauliers want less police corruption to reduce road accidents

7:19 CAT | 19 Sep 2025

File photo: Carta de Moçambique

The Mozambican Federation of Transport Associations (FEMATRO) on Thursday defended inspection and the fight against corruption in the police to stop road accidents, asking to be part of the commissions of inquiry into road accident cases.

“The solutions start with enforcement. The government must put an end to the high level of corruption that exists within our police. We’ve been asking for a long time for our members of the associations, the hauliers, to be part of the inspection teams. We’re not allowed”, said the president of FEMATRO Castigo Nhamane in Maputo, adding that he doesn’t intend to replace the inspectors, because he respects the role of the police.

Castigo Nhamane was speaking today in Maputo during a meeting debating road safety in Mozambique, organised by Mozambican businesspeople, at which he called for FEMATRO to be included in the teams that monitor and investigate road accidents.

“We want to be there so that we can only observe the legality of the means of transporting people and goods, because we are the transporters, we are the ones who are called to account when there is bloodshed on the road,” he added.

At the same event, the head of the Inspection and Expertise department of the National Road Transport Institute (INATRO) told journalists that Fematro’s concerns were “under consideration”, but pointed out that this association of hauliers must monitor drivers’ compliance with the law.

“We’re not saying no. What the state wants is for hauliers, the CTA [Confederation of Economic Associations of Mozambique] and FEMATRO to control the behaviour of their drivers, to control the routine and circulation of their vehicles,” said Napoleão Sumbane, recalling the limits in the legislation.

“We’re looking for solutions that are consistent and appropriate, but that are within the law. And if FEMATRO is allowed to supervise, how far will it go? Who is it allowed to monitor? Can it supervise other citizens or not?” Napoleão Sumbane asked, hoping for solutions to a “one-off problem with consistent long-term collaboration”.

In August alone, at least 87 people died in Mozambique as a result of 48 road accidents, the interior minister said on Wednesday, acknowledging his concern about the high number of road accidents and calling for greater responsibility on the part of traffic officers in enforcement.

On 13 September, the Mozambican Interior Ministry suspended the traffic inspectors who were on duty at the road checkpoint where an accident took place in the district of Nicoadala, in Zambézia province, in the centre of the country, in which 11 people died.

This Tuesday, Mozambique’s government announced the establishment of compulsory rest stops for drivers every 300 kilometres and the rotation of long-distance drivers as part of measures to curb road accidents in the country.

On 15 April, the government approved a Road Safety Action Plan, which provides for a series of actions to reduce the number of road accidents, including stepping up inspections, changes to legislation and interventions at critical points, as well as raising awareness among communities.

At least 575 people died in road accidents between January and August in Mozambique, an increase of 14% compared to the same period in 2024, Mozambique’s government said last week, acknowledging “critical challenges” in road safety.

Road accident rates in Mozambique are classified as dramatic, with the authorities pointing to speeding and drink-driving as the main causes.

Source: Lusa