It is a cruel irony that we carry in our hearts every time we buckle up. We boast some of the finest, smoothest tarmac in Africa—ribbons of road that stretch beautifully toward our horizons—yet these same roads are becoming the site of our greatest national grief.
In recent months, the statistics have shifted from mere numbers to names we know. Friends, breadwinners, and children are being lost at a skyrocketing rate. We’ve reached a breaking point where a weekend without news of a horrific crash feels like a rare miracle. Enough is enough. While most drivers try their best, the elephant on the road remains the unregulated chaos of some public transport sectors.
In the rush to squeeze in “one more trip” for a few extra dollars, safety is being traded for speed. Overloaded minibuses and fatigued drivers are turning our highways into high-stakes gambles.
The time has come for us to admit that the current honour system isn’t working. We need more than just roadworthy stickers; we need a radical shift in how we regulate those who carry our lives in their hands.
A Call for “Sun-Up to Sun-Down” Travel To curb the carnage, it is time to consider drastic but necessary measures. One of the most effective solutions would be the strict regulation of public transport hours—limiting their operations from 07:00 to 19:00. Night driving in Namibia, with its limited visibility and stray livestock, is a recipe for disaster.
By keeping public transport off the roads during the dark hours, we drastically reduce the risk of high-speed, head-on collisions. Similarly, heavy trucks should be assigned specific time slots to travel, ensuring that these “behemoths of the road” aren’t vying for space with smaller vehicles during peak family travel times.
We don’t just need more traffic officers; we need smarter ones. We must identify high-risk zones— those notorious stretches of road that seem to claim lives every month—and install permanent, automated speed controls.
If a driver knows a camera or a checkpoint is inevitable, they find the discipline they otherwise lack. Our roads are beautiful, but they are currently stained with the blood of our people.
Roadworthiness and safety regulations cannot be treated as optional suggestions; they are the law of survival.
We are losing our future on these highways. It’s time for the authorities to step up with stricter enforcement, and for us, as a nation, to detransport system that values life over a quick arrival. Our roads are built for progress, not funerals I think these time restrictions should apply to long-distance transport and urban taxis, should follow the same rules.
- Kevin Rukoro is a youth activist, public servant and founder of the Anointed Levites Foundation which focuses on youth empowerment
