Visibility equipment to be used by the Namibian Police at high accident zones along the main national road in the Otjozondjupa Region is aimed at curbing road accidents.
A local mobile telecommunications company (MTC) stepped in and donated the reflector jackets, torches, and other goods worth N$63,000 to the Namibian Police.
Road crashes, accompanied by fatalities and injuries, are experienced every other week on the B1 Road.
The local mobile service company is part of the National Road Safety Stakeholders Forum, and the donation is part of its duty to ensure road safety.
MTC Corporate Communication Specialist John Ekongo says, "So every other year we put together a budget of between N$50 to N$70,000 to go towards national road safety endeavours, primarily focusing on national police road safety programmes, and again, this year is no different. We have done so in the interest of promoting road safety in the Otjozondjupa Region. To become symbiotically, the National Road Safety Council has actually given us the Otjiwarongo road block to adopt as ours, so whatever needs to be done at the Otjiwarongo road block, and if it's not taking place, commissioner sir, try to call us and say you are not taking care of your child."
MTC donated 43 reflective coats and jackets, generators, electrical cords, torches, and batteries.
"This would make it possible for us to work throughout the night, and we would be visible and be able to see what is happening once we are on the road. We really appreciate that MTC went out up to here and assisted us in trying to make safety a key thing. Otjozondjupa is the region through which everybody travels. You go north; you travel through this, you go south you travel through Otjozondjupa, so we appreciate the fact that at least you are making us more visible," says Otjozondjupa Police Commander, Henrich Tjiveze.
Statistically, it has been shown that most fatal accidents occur at night, which Commissioner Tjiveze says will now be limited as the police will be on the roads after sunset.