Mozambique: President wants government action plan on reducing road accidents

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Mozambique: President wants government action plan on reducing road accidents

12:56 CAT | 25 Mar 2025

Photo: Presidency

Mozambican president, Daniel Chapo, on Tuesday gave the government a week to prepare an urgent action plan to reduce road accidents, following another serious accident in Manica on Monday, which left 23 people dead.

“Road accidents have been claiming lives all over the country lately. We wanted to take this opportunity to instruct the Transport and Logistics sector immediately to draw up an action plan, to be presented to us at the next Cabinet meeting in a week’s time, so that we can reflect on it properly,” announced Daniel Chapo.

The guidance was given this morning by the head of state at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting, which is taking place in Lichinga, Niassa province.

“But it is in the sense that all the sectors linked to road inspection in the country can sit down and make a deep reflection on this issue of road accidents that are claiming lives in our country, and bring us a concrete action plan that we can, together, with all the sectors linked to road inspection at country level, find a solution that can lead us to reduce these cases of accidents on our roads,” stressed Daniel Chapo, after expressing his solidarity with the victims of the accident in Manica.

In addition to drawing up the Action Plan, the country’s president called on motorists to drive with caution and pointed to some areas of the country that require more attention due to their high accident rate: “There are places that we, as road inspectors, need to be more attentive to”.

The Mozambican police confirmed today that three more people had died following the violent road accident on Monday on National Road 6 in Manica province, in the centre of the country, bringing the total number of deaths to 23.

“We regret to inform you that the accident has resulted in 23 deaths, one serious injury, two minor injuries and extensive material damage to the semi-collective passenger vehicle. The causes: driving on the wrong side of the road, combined with excessive speed,” announced the spokesman for the general command of the police (PRM), Leonel Muchina.

The accident happened on Monday afternoon at the administrative post of Cafumpe, in the district of Gondola, Manica, involving a head-on collision between a semi-collective passenger transport vehicle and a heavy goods vehicle.

In view of the increase in accidents in the country, the spokesman for the general command of the PRM also announced the ‘reactivation’ of the force’s mobile brigades to check the speed of vehicles and the alcohol content of drivers at ‘critical points’ on national roads, as well as civic awareness actions in schools and other places.

Road accident rates in Mozambique are classified as dramatic by various organisations.

The authorities have pointed to speeding and drink-driving as the main causes.

The country has recorded more than 4,800 deaths in road accidents over the last five years, according to figures released in May by the government, which is calling for society’s involvement to curb the scourge.

Source: Lusa