‘ ‘– †”‹˜‡ ™‹–Š‘—– Ž‹…‡…‡

MKHIWENI – The Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) has warned residents under Mkhiweni Constituency about driving vehicles without a valid licence, an observation made when a number of accidents around the area were recorded by the Mliba Police.

Speaking during an outreach event organised by the Sincephetelo Motor VehicleAccidents Fund (SMVAF) at the inkhundla centre, Sergeant Bhekumuzi Gule noted that while there were still a lot of road crashes occurring as a result of drink-driving, police had also noted that most of the drivers stopped by police or involved in crashes were unlicensed drivers.

“Always ensure that you have a sober driver in the event you go out for drinks or rather buy and enjoy at home to avoid being on the road.

“We have also noted that a lot of road accidents recorded by Mliba Police Station are caused by drivers who drive without a valid licence and who do not know or understand road rules. Also related to this are tractor owners who hand over their tractors to unlicensed and inexperienced drivers. As we are starting the farming season, let us do our best to ensure that our tractors do not cause road crashes by ensuring that they are roadworthy and driven by the right people,” he said.

Risk

Echoing Gule’s warning, Mfanzile Mkhonta, who is the Supervisor of the SMVAF’s Right of Recourse project said vehicle owners who gave their cars to unlicensed drivers risked paying a lot of money in the event of an accident.

“The fund has the right to recover, reclaim or collect monies paid out to road accident victims as compensation for bodily injuries or death from any insured driver or person who are at fault by causing motor vehicle accidents. These may be drivers who were driving while intoxicated, recklessly, without proper licensing, without lawful title to the motor vehicle, without fitness of motor vehicle and being owner allowing your vehicle to be driven under such circumstances,” he said. Mkhonta said that the fund’s aim was to ensure that accidents were prevented through taking decisive action against drivers who drove recklessly.

He further unpacked reckless driving and negligent driving and said drivers were encouraged to familiarise themselves with Section 17 of the SMVAF Act, which gave the fund power to recover money from reckless drivers.

Claims

During the same event, the fund’s Accident Prevention and Public Education Manager, Dumisa Dlamini, took Mkhiweni residents through an information session, outlining benefits offered by the fund as well as requirements from members of the public, who wished to lodge claims with the fund.

He emphasised that the fund prioritised treatment and rehabilitation of accident survivors and encouraged accidents to be reported to the police and not concealed, as this normally caused problems when those injured eventually decided to lodge claims.

“There is a tendency of people in communities to conceal or not report accidents to the police. This is rife in accidents involving minors. This may in turn disadvantage the accident survivor in case they decide to approach the fund for compensation. Without a police report, it would be difficult for the fund to accept a claim,” he warned.