Highlands Primary wins inaugural ‘Be Road Safe’ campaign
HIGHLANDS Primary scooped the school-based prize of the inaugural ‘Be Road Safe’ campaign as it walked away with US$2 000.
The Puma Energy Zimbabwe’s comprehensive road safety campaign has been piloted at five schools in highrisk areas and has reached an estimated 11 000 children to date.
The programme, themed “Be Road Safe” is being implemented by Amend and the Road Safe Zimbabwe Trust with support from the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Republic Police.
The campaign ended with road rules and regulations which saw a group of 10 children win individual prizes, with young Kuzivakwashe Mashozhera of Highlands Primary School walking away with the grand prize of US$200.
“I am very happy to have received this accolade and it reflects the hard work our teachers at school and parents at home have done teaching us about road safety. The knowledge given to us will be important in our lives forever,” Kuzivakwashe said.
August Inevitable Chinguruve a pupil at Mberi Primary School scooped the second individual prize of US$100, which he said was a good gesture by Puma Energy Zimbabwe to educate the young.
“With such competitions, we become more aware of the rules of the road and I want to thank the sponsors of this campaign as it is a good initiative,” he added.
Guest of honour, Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Hon Angeline Gata applauded the efforts of young learners, who completed Puma Energy Zimbabwe’s “Be Road Safe” programme.
“We celebrate the extraordinary efforts of these children in learning about and promoting road safety, an issue of paramount importance in our country. Alarming statistics in our country estimate that a road traffic accident occurs every 15 minutes, resulting in five fatalities daily, and sadly in all of this, children are the most vulnerable,” she said.
“Therefore, corporate initiatives such as Puma Energy Zimbabwe’s ‘Be Road Safe’ campaign, which collaborates with multiple ministries and government institutions, are exemplary and commendable.”
Puma Energy Zimbabwe general manager Donatien Kodog stated that safety is embedded in Puma Energy’s DNA, and the programme will be rolled out across the country shortly.
“The programme is a long-term commitment of Puma Energy Zimbabwe and supports efforts to reduce road fatalities in alignment with the United Nations’ Decade of Action for Road Safety, which aims to prevent at least 50 percent of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.
As a corporate citizen, we are keen to play a deliberate and active role to support the government’s initiatives to address road safety in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Participating schools were furnished with road safety materials and prize money was awarded to the top school and the top ten individuals respectively, for outstanding interpretation and artistic expression of road safety.
A ‘Be Road Safe’ club was established at Highlands Primary School where a tragic accident that resulted in the loss of a student’s life occurred.
It focused on training children to become ‘Be Road Safe’ ambassadors, empowering them to educate their peers about road safety.
In addition, a ‘Kids Court’ aimed at urging drivers to exercise caution, especially near school zones, was held with the support of the Zimbabwe Republic Police.
Drivers were reminded of the vulnerability of children and the importance of adhering to road safety regulations.