Safety awareness campaign at Musina

Musina kicked off the festive season with a successful safety awareness campaign which was held at Malale Community Hall last week.

The campaign’s main focus was to increase awareness about the risks and dangers of stray animals because a high number of accidents is caused by stray animals in the area. The event was a joint effort by Musina Municipality and the Vhembe District Municipality.

During the event, farmers were advised to look after their livestock to prevent them from wandering along the roadside. Local people were also advised to refrain from cutting fences along the roads as this leads to the destruction of barriers that prevent animals from wandering across the road.

The manager of traffic services at Musina Municipality, Mr Daniel Nembambula, said that, besides stray animals, birds were also a risk to drivers in the roads. “Eagles and other birdlife may feed on the carcasses of previously-struck animals on the roadway and be a hazard to approaching vehicles as they attempt to take off. Drivers should never assume that a large bird will be able to fly out of their way in time. Stray animals and birds can be very dangerous if they surprise or distract the driver. Some of the larger animals like dogs and goats can be as disastrous in a collision as a cow, donkey or a horse.”

According to him, if drivers are travelling at high speed, colliding with stray animals can result in loss of control of their vehicles, major vehicle damage, serious personal injury or even death.

Nemambula also criticized community members who uproot road signs and, at the same time, urged drivers to adhere to the available road signs  “Drivers are advised to take heed of any road sign and slow down, scanning visually from side to side and watching out for any movement from the edges of the road. Stray animals are unpredictable and can move very suddenly and quickly and may panick at the sight and sound of a vehicle. They also tend to gather and travel in groups, and if you see one on the road, chances are that there are others nearby.”

The station commander of Tshamutumbu SAPS, Capt Adziambei Nemavunde, said the local police would work tirelessly with all stakeholders to make sure that everyone was safe this festive season. “We have a responsibility to prevent, combat and investigate crime, maintain public order, and to protect and secure people and their property. We will also uphold and enforce the law to create a safe and secure environment for all people we serve.”

Representatives from the Vhembe disaster management centre, road safety, fire and emergency services also did presentations during the event.

Date:29 November 2013

By: News Correspondent

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