By JOHN SAKALA
The Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) has given Scorpion Bus Services seven days to show cause why its operator’s licence should not be suspended or revoked, for employing inlicenced driver who killed 14 people in the Solwezi traffic road accident.
RTSA Head of Public Relations Frmedrick Mubanga said employing and allowing an unlicensed driver to drive a Public service Vehicle (PSV) was violation of the terms and conditions under which the Road Service Licence (RSL) was granted.
In a letter dated April 23, 2019 addressed to the Director of Beta Build Hardware
and Electronics, trading as Scorpion Bus services, the RTSA has observed that the action by the operator was tantamount to violating the conditions upon which
the operator’s licence was granted.
Mr Mubanga said the ultimatum comes in the wake of a road traffic crash on April 17, 2019 around 19:20 hours, involving a Scorpion bus registration number BCA 8977ZM were 14 people died and 16 injured.
The crash occurred along the Chingola –
Solwezi road.
“Accident investigations conducted by RTSA revealed that the driver of the bus, Eddie Katoyo, was over speeding as evidenced by the fact that he overtook several vehicles and ended up hitting into a stationary truck in the opposite lane.
“Further, RTSA records indicate that on April 11, 2019, the same bus driver was
reported to have been driving at excessive speed around Chisamba area on Great North Road. He was summoned, but did not show up to answer to the charge.
Further investigations into the accident also indicate that the offender Eddie
Katoyo was not licenced to drive a Public Service Vehicle. It was also established
that the driver gave false information to officers when he presented fake
documentation indicating that he was licensed with a PSV licence when in fact not,” he said.
Mr Mubanga said RTSA is concerned that the operator could allow or employ an unlicenced and inexperienced driver to drive a Public Service Vehicle, an action that undoubtedly put a lot of lives at risk further resulting in injuries and fatalities.
“Therefore, the operator abrogated the conditions of the RSL, by allowing or
employing an unlicenced driver. RTSA is evoking Section 108(16) of the Road Traffic Act No. 11 of 2002 that
empowers the Agency to revoke, suspend or vary the terms of a RSL if the
conditions subject to which it was granted are not being complied with,” he said.
