Two more long-distance drivers died, and a bystander was attacked by a lion-in-transit in separate incidents involving dangerous logistics and negligent cargo control in the Copperbelt area of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The fatal accident this morning (27 February) on the T3 near Kapiri Mposhe in Zambia, halfway between Lusaka and Ndola, happened when a flatbed truck carrying copper crashed into a Shoprite truck.
Both drivers died in the head-on collision, the second such accident after Sunday’s head-on crash between two tankers near the Mokambo border in the DRC (Read this for context).
Both accidents resulted in blazing trucks disrupting traffic and bringing the Copperbelt’s road freight death toll since Sunday to four.
Mike Fitzmaurice, chief executive of the Federation of East and Southern African Road Transport Associations, said the collisions on Copperbelt roads can be attributed to driver fatigue.”
“These guys are delayed at the borders. They’re being held up and have deadlines to meet. They’re pushing to get through borders.”
He said the safety and security concerns long-distance drivers face on routes serving the copper mines, boils down to the inefficiency of border transits in Southern Africa.
“It’s been raised with authorities, but it doesn’t sink in. As long as revenue keeps coming in, they don’t care.”
He said although cross-border service providers like Korridor provide safe and secure facilities in strategic places, many drivers prefer to wait in queues at congested borders.
“They don’t want to lose their place in the queue, and they get sleep-deprived. They also don’t rest properly afterwards (when they’ve reached their destination).”
He said on average, a truck and trailer cost about R3.5 million, and with cargo easily exceeds R5 million in value.
“Considering the assets long-distance drivers are entrusted with, there should be more consideration for them,” Fitzmaurize said.
In one of the more bizarre incidents at one of the three Copperbelt borders between Zambia and the DRC, a truckload of lions escaped and ran free after some of the cages they were kept in on the back of a truck sprang open.
More information is coming in, but it is understood that the incident happened at the Mokambo border in the DRC.
Several of the escaped lions, on their way somewhere in the DRC, have apparently been seen as far south as Sakania, the easternmost Copperbelt crossing.
A bystander was attacked by one of the lions, which was subsequently killed.
