Police detain over 20 minibuses
Southern Region Police from Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning detained over 20 minibuses in Blantyre City for exceeding capacity.
During a visit to the Southern Region Headquarters yesterday drivers and passengers were seen waiting outside the office wire fence and the minibuses inside the fence waiting for the owners to pay the K10 000 (about $14) fine.
According to Southern Region Police Headquarters assistant spokesperson Peter Mchiza, the ongoing exercise was instituted in readiness for Independence Anniversary Celebrations on July 6.
He said other reasons the police are conducting the exercise are to ensure that only roadworthy minibuses and vehicles are operating on the roads.
“The problem is that when minibuses exceed capacity and they are involved in an accident, insurance companies are always reluctant to pay compensation to the injured passengers and when they do, they only release compensation in relation to the required capacity leaving out others,” said Mchiza.
The police have since appealed to the public not to condone the behaviour of minibus conductors and drivers who exceed capacity at the expense of their lives.
According to Mchiza, since Tuesday when traffic police officers started conducting the exercise, minibus operations have improved as they are carrying the recommended capacity. n
