Malawi Road Traffic dept justifies new penalties, fees: MPs say 200% increase ‘illegal’
The Department of Road Traffic and Safety Services (DRTSS) has justified the 200 percent increase on prescribed offenses, penalties and miscellaneous fees as a way for motorists to comply with rules and regulations and that will go ahead to implement the new penalties despite parliament arguing the move is illegal.
Acting Director for DRTSS, Fergus Gondwe told journalists on Wednesday that most accidents are caused by over speeding, drink and driving, reckless driving, careless overtaking, ignoring traffic signs, fatigue and overloading.
He said last year, 1,112 people were killed from 962 fatal accidents while from January to September 2017, and 1791 people have been killed in 694 fatal accidents.
Gondwe said road accidents costs the country an estimated 1 percent to 3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.
“This is between $47.1 million and $193.5 million annually”.
The acting boss said these figures have been necessitated due to high costs of services and materials which are quoted in U.S dollars.
He highlighted for example that miscellaneous fees have increased due to costs like K40million on internet charges payable to Malawi Telecommunications Limited.
He added payment for system software licences.
“One blank PVC card which is used for printing drivers licenses and Traffic Register Cards cost not more than Mk5.000 each” said Gondwe.
The DRTSS boss said they have launched strategies to reduce corruption which include dissemination of anti-corruption policy and DRTS client service charter.
Gondwe pointed out they are sensitising officers on corruption prevention as well as engaging the public corruption.
The Road Traffic and Safety Service has further launched a toll free line number 4040 where corrupt practices can be reported.
Parliament said DRTSS has “overstepped its mandate” by rushing to announce the new fees and penalties, set to be effected Novemebr 13 2017, without the approval of the National Assembly.
According to Maxwell Thyolera, chairperson of Parliamentray committee of Legal Affairs, they have summoned DRTSS bosses to appear before it in Lilongwe next Monday.
He said the maximum offencees not specified in the Road Traffic Act is a fine of K20 000 and or imprisonment for two years.
Thyolera said Parliament will have to discuss the new penalties and fines backed by Section 58 (2).
But Gondwe said “The Minister has power to introduce fines and penalties”.
He added that the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs vetted the changes as well as the fact that they have been gazzetted as per provision of Road Traffic Act.
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To begin with, the new fines are unjustifiable. I do not know if thorough consultation was done before reaching such baseless and unrealistic fines. I strongly feel that these people would have first considered the buying power of most Malawians, which we all know is pathetic and this is largely because our salaries in general are very very poor, and on the other hand is the economy which is upside down. And from that view point,how would you expect people to meet these fines in an event that they are in conflict with traffic laws? Frankly speaking things are not adding up.
In the same principle, may I humbly request government to object this move putting into consideration the welfare of the motorists , and secondly, 2019 is just too close to any meaningful politician and the elite, ndithu akupweteketsani.
And how can forgetting of licence at home cause an accident?
How do the maximum fines compare to the salary of a mini bus driver and the average traffic officer?
Mind you one is a spot fine and the other is a monthly salary.
So Tembenu vetted perhaps he no longer lives in Malawi to see the poverty! The problem is corruption, nepotism in recruitment (employing friends, daughters and sons who have no interest in the job of enforcing traffic laws) etc – therefore laws are not enforced.
Boma can you first increase our salaries by 1100percent, then impose these fines. the minister does he realise that Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, these fines are only affordable to people leaving in the west. DPP you have lost my vote
Limenelo nde boma la DPP!! To them they can do anything and everything on their own angakhale zitakhala kuti ena akuwathandiza maganizo kuti its unprocedural, kwa iwo ndi zankutu zimenezo!!
This kind of increment is unrealistic because people will not manage to pay this. In the end they will resort to a figure that will be very small compared to the charge but big to the men on the road. It will only fuel corruption and loss of revenue. Look at the economy of Malawi and see if a common man will manage this.
Some of these offenses come because of poverty and it is expected that the same poor man will pay those fines.
Malawians are very sad people. The fines are not the norm. A car should have good tyres, Insurance, COF, etc otherwise it has no business being on the road.
Most accidents blamed on speeding always say a tyre bust, meaning the tyre was worn out, if brakes fail the car had no COF.
If your vehicle is well maintained, and you have a valid license, what is the problem?
You are happy that drivers without any knowledge of traffic rules, kill people on pedestrian crossings?
Wait until one of your family gets killed by a car with no insurance, no COF, no lights, no brakes and your family member was rightfully crossing on a pedestrian crossing, then come and make noise about the fines are too high.
Law abiding citizens have nothing to worry about.
First clean up your own house as it is your own corruption which is the cause of accidents. Even if we all have driving licences and all our cars have COF, I guarantee accidents will still be on the rise as most of these documents are issued fraudulently by your own office. Cars get COF without bring examined and people are getting driving licences even before they have known how to drive a car. Shame on us Malawians!
Whilst I side with the opposition MCP on most social ills currently buffeting nyasaland, I differ with them on this one. This is distasteful opportunism on their part. There is too much reckless driving on Malawi roads these days. Each and every day, you always see outrageous conduct on our roads. It’s sad that as a nation, we seem to have embraced disregard of laws/regulations on many development frontiers. For instance in this case, we seem to be accepting “it’s okay to down a bottle of Jameson and cruise home”. Behind this warped thinking underlies a mentality that leads us to pay bribes at RTD, that lead us ‘glorify’ gangster accountants who steal money from the civil service (“ooh, he is doing extremely fine. He has just built another elegant house in new shire “), that’s why we have been voting into government known thieves post 1994. We need a moral revolution to save this country. To Honorable Thyolera and friends, here is my simple message : These people who are needlessly dying in the unabating road carnage are not garbage. They are breadwinners for their families, they are dear sons and daughters to parents, lovely brothers and sisters to others, promising individuals who would have contributed to the development of this nation. These families go through unimaginable heartache for their losses.
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The irony in this case is that RTD itself has greatly contributed to this mess (if not being the main culprit). Too much corruption at this institution has resulted in unfit persons getting PSV driving licenses, the elite “purchasing” licenses and COFs, etc. Mr Thyolera, if you want to tackle these issues, next Monday you should find out more on the anti – corruption measures being touted by Mr Gondwe: How many RTD officers have been caught and prosecuted so far – we know they take bribes on a daily basis. Whether ICT auditors come and audit the current system, etc. For me this is a failed institution. If I were it’s CEO, I would fire everybody and recruit afresh
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As a starting point, these fines are justified. They are evidence based. Mr Thyolera, you should take time and visit ward 3A at Kamuzu Central Hospital. Patients, mostly road traffic accidents – at any point in time, in excess of 140, crumpled in a ward meant for 40. Yes they lie on the floor, they sleep on the verandah with weights attached to their limbs. I salute the nurses in this ward. And the TWO orthopedic surgeons available at this facility. Each year their case load is at least a dozen thousand. May God bless you. You are noble warriors. Shame to our politicians. Shame to corrupt RTD officers and traffic cops.
Mr Thyolera is right. The sad story you have narrated stems from the fact that we take too many short cuts and end up messing things. These people are aware of the produres but wanted to take advantage of the emotional situation on the ground to force Malawians pay the traffic policeman on the road more money for Xmas. I am sorry if your relation is one of the hospitalised people. This is how all the victims of a failed nation feel. The Njaunju family. The Chasowa family and everybody else including the people you have described in ward 3a. are not victims of political divisions as you prefer to describe them by painting Thyolera MCP colors. They are victims of a failed state that is rolling down by gravity forces and not planning. THIS failed state will crash anything it finds on the way. If you go back to that ward you will find all manner of people travelling in various types of vehicles. 4×4s minibusses lorries. Why? They all use the same failing roads, same failing system and same corrupt system. Systems and rules build build strong administrative structures that insure everybody’s participation and positive contribution towards national social development. This we have failed to maintain. In fact the little MCP gave us we have destroyed.
Raising the fines its not a solution to the accidents that are happenings ,,, our roads are not in good shape some are small, some need heavy maintenance ,,,, Mr. minister apa sizinayende
Inu a RTD mukhale strict ndi speed limits za ma bus ndi tima Hiace chifukwa ngozi zambili zomwe zikuchitika pano zikukhudza kuthamanga kwa ma bus ndi ma minibus. Mwachitsanzo, nseu wa Mchinji ma minibus amathamanga kwambili
So the devils are these two, Tembenu and Janet???? Even themselves, can they afford these penalties? Amayipisa boma ndi anthu ngati amenewa. Stupid.
The fines are unjustifiably too high for the Malawian Motorist whether they were vetted by a Minister or not. The Minister recieves hefty salary and allowances and does not see any problem with this.
DRTSS you are hitting where its weak, this is a combined problem from both motorist and Gvt, as much as motorist are also to blame gvt’s failure to maintain or construct good and modern roads is also the main contributor to the escalation of fatal accidents in Mw. Give us good roads first and enforce the penalties.
No one carries this kind of cash around, so I guess the bribes are going up by 200% too. Traffic officers will be smiling.
The hike will only enrich the police officers who are mostly on the roads for bribes.
I support the MPs. We don’t need to create rich traffic police people