Truckers fear 'suicide' pedestrians

James Hall MATSAPHA, SWAZILAND Ð Road freight haulers are instructing their drivers to be diligent in the face of reports from government's Motor Vehicle Accident fund that members of the public are purposely throwing themselves in front of cars and trucks in order to collect insurance compensation. Faizel Latiff, managing director of Mzala Carriers in Matsapha, told FTW: "I will be holding talks with my drivers about this situation. It's crazy what some people will do for money." Another executive with a Matsapha-based road freight company said, "One of my drivers struck a pedestrian, a woman, right here at the industrial estate, and he swears she ran in front of him on purpose. It was very traumatic for the driver. He had to take several days off for his nerves. As for the woman, she filed a claim with the MVA (Motor Vehicle Accident fund), but not one with us." Some haulers contacted by FTW fear that if pedestrians who put themselves in harm's way in order to reap insurance damage rewards start to target trucking companies and large corporations, hoping for bigger payments, insurance costs will skyrocket. In Swaziland a vehicle operator involved in a fatal pedestrian accident is arrested for culpable homicide regardless of the circumstances, according to the Royal Swaziland Police Force. Police spokesman Vusie Maseko says the department does not have a policy in place to deal with individuals who purposely cause traffic accidents. If accident payments continue to escalate, the Motor Vehicle Accident fund says it will have to raise its levy attached to a litre of petrol, which finances the fund, prompting another price rise. MVA levies are responsible for a petrol cost that is currently higher in Swaziland than in South Africa, reversing the historical norm.