Allexer Namundjembo
Road safety expert Felix Tjozongoro has proposed a road safety Christmas amnesty. He said during this time, police should write off traffic fines older than three years to promote voluntary compliance and improve road discipline.
“These are not ambitious or costly reforms; they are practical, evidence-based interventions that can be implemented immediately. If we start now, we can save hundreds of lives this festive season,” Tjozongoro said.
He called on the Ministry of Works and Transport to strengthen the country’s highway monitoring systems and make better use of the existing CCTV network along the Arandis.
Tjozongoro said the system, designed to monitor traffic and detect speeding, is underused and could play a critical role in reducing road crashes if properly managed.
“The National Road Safety Council has invested in CCTV monitoring on the busy Usakos–Swakopmund route, but technology without a response mechanism is useless,” he said.
He also urged the ministry to assign trained staff to the monitoring centre and deploy traffic patrol cars to respond instantly to incidents captured on camera.
“If properly used, this system could prevent many highway fatalities,” he added.
Tjozongoro praised works and transport minister Veikko Nekundi for taking what he described as a bold and results-orientated approach to improving road safety.
“Every festive season, Namibian families lose their loved ones unnecessarily, and this must end,” he said, calling for immediate and practical interventions.
Among his proposals, Tjozongoro recommended a temporary nighttime ban on heavy trucks, a two-driver policy for long-distance passenger transport to curb fatigue-related crashes and animal patrol units on routes such as Oshivelo–Ondangwa to prevent collisions with stray livestock.
Over the years, the government has spent millions on traffic-surveillance infrastructure, but much of it remains idle.
In 2015, the Namibian Police contracted CSS Tactical Security Namibia to install 12 radar speed cameras along the B1 and B2 national roads.
The contract, valued at about N$3.6 million, later rose to nearly N$14 million, yet by 2020 the cameras were still not operational due to the lack of a regulatory framework, calibration facilities, and software validation.
In Windhoek, the City Police installed more than 140 CCTV cameras by 2024 as part of a smart city surveillance project, but many units stopped working due to faulty equipment and delayed maintenance.
In 2018, the Ministry of Safety and Security confirmed that although CCTV and speed-trap cameras had been mounted along the B1 highway, they were not active because of legal and technical issues.
About N$64 million had been allocated for surveillance infrastructure in several regions.
According to the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund, Namibia recorded 492 road deaths in 2023, up from 465 in 2022. Most fatalities occurred during the festive season, often caused by speeding, fatigue and drunk driving.
Last week, the MVA Fund revealed that between January and 19 October 2025, the MVA Fund recorded 2 606 crashes, resulting in 4 216 injuries and 401 deaths.
