Parliament queries compensation for road traffic v...

Parliament queries compensation for road traffic victims

Interview: Transport sector key to economic recovery: Mhona -Newsday Zimbabwe — Minister Felix Mhona

Zim News Writer

Members of Parliament have challenged the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Felix Mhona to review third party insurance policies which limit the amount of compensation that can be paid to victims of road traffic accidents.

Legislator Tendai Biti said insurance houses are milking and creaming off money and not paying victims.

“If a bus is involved in an accident, 75 passengers will be forced to share US$4 000, meaning each individual will get a paltry US$53 as compensation.

“My supplementary question to the esteemed Minister of Transport is that there is a challenge of compensation to accident victims and the Minister has a simple solution which is to amend Section 23 and 24 of the Road Traffic Act which limits the amount of compensation that can be paid by insurance houses in respect of third-party insurance.

“So, the Minister should direct that the Road Victim Fund should be funded by the bulk of contributions in third party insurance,” Biti said.

Minister Mhona said some statutes and Acts are outdated citing that the government will soon be calling for an all stakeholders meeting to implore different views relating to insurance compensation.

“You find some of our statutes and Acts are archaic and we have taken long to revisit some of these statutes which therefore calls on us to look and try to revisit some of these Acts.

“He has cited the Road Act Number. 13: 18/80 which is very important and would address the Sections 23 and 24 that he has talked about.

“It will also go a long way and I would also want to concur with him that some of what we are also paying now does not make sense.

“As we promulgate the Road Accident Fund, we are going to be addressing this but since the powers vested in this august House within the members in our midst, I will also move with speed and try to address the relevant section even before the promulgation of the Road Accident Fund,” he said.

Chegutu West Constituency MP, Dexta Nduna called for the scrapping of the third-party insurance and enforcement of passenger compensation by insurance houses.

Addressing a question, by Chitungwiza North MP, Godfrey Sithole, on the process of who will compensate accident victims as a result of potholes, Mhona said the aggrieved persons have a right to approach courts.

“The architecture of our government, we have got the Judiciary and whoever is aggrieved has the recourse of the courts where he can approach the courts to seek redress to your concerns.

“In the event that the accident is a result of a pothole, you have seen that in a number of cases, we have cases where the Minister is sued in his capacity and on behalf of the Ministry.

“It is the right and the mandate of the people of Zimbabwe to seek redress in courts,” Mhona added.