Stop stealing from road accident victims

Humanity has lost a sense of compassion so much that nowadays road traffic accident scenes have been reduced to a place where some people loot freely, while others take videos and photographs. There is no care for those involved in the accidents.

Do we need to be told what to do when we get to road traffic accident scene? Does it not come naturally to first try to rescue those involved and seek help for them? It seems we are becoming colder and colder towards fellow humans.

When a road traffic accident occurs, some notorious highway robbers rush to the scene disguised as ‘rescuers’ only to start looting from accident victims. It is inhumane to indulge in such vices. Several stories are told about road traffic accidents where victims were lying around helplessly, while passerbys were watching and taking video. One is of an accident involving haulage truck carrying alcohol along the A1. While the driver was battling to come out of the wreckage of the truck, passersby were looting the alcohol - the young and old alike, male and female. It was an ugly scene that revealed that society has degraded.

Looters often take advantage of the fact that sometimes they are the first to arrive on the scene before the Police. In a more dangerous undertaking that took place along the Harare–Chirundu Highway, scores of villagers stampeded to siphon thousands litres of petrol from a fuel tanker that had been involved in an accident, risking their lives. This greed, which is largely powered by ignorance, has cost many lives as uncontrollable fires inevitably break out at such fuel lootings.

In some instances, looters resist police orders to disperse from the accident scene as it was the case a few years back when Kang police had to fire tear gas canisters and warning shots to disperse people who were stealing from a cargo truck that was involved in a road accident near Phuduhudu. It is very shameful that people have to be fanned away like flies on a piece of meat. What a shame!

Sometimes these large groups of people show up at road accident scenes to hamper the services of police and emergency service crews’. To them, it seems to be more of an amusement event.

Looters who are caught red handed must face the wrath of the law. This has far much reaching repercussions on the economy of the country more than we can think. The looting regrettably tarnishes the good reputation of and portrays the country badly towards other countries, especially in the case of cargo trucks that use our roads enroute to other countries.

We can do better and be more compassionate.