The |Khomas Regional Council, in collaboration with the City Police, has commenced Operation Back to School.

The initiative is aimed at ensuring that motorists transporting learners to school prioritise their safety at all times.

The City Police had set up roadblocks in various locations of Windhoek to assess the condition of vehicles and drivers responsible for taking learners to school.

They will also be monitoring whether drivers are abiding by the traffic rules and are not driving under intoxication.

"The message is clear to the drivers that they shouldn't be driving our kids whenever they are not licensed. The other message is also to ensure that all the unlicensed drivers are taken off our roads just to ensure that we minimise fatalities and injuries," said City Police Chief Leevi Ileka.

Windhoek West Councillor Emma Muteka said that the operation is a precautionary measure in response to fatalities involving vehicles that occurred in 2024.

She encouraged other stakeholders to also participate in similar initiatives involving road safety for learners.

"Ideally what we're doing here is just to make sure that the basics are adhered to. Safety is the priority of our children and that of our caregivers and our parents to make sure that the children are being dropped off at the correct places or safe spaces and that they are crossing at the correct places."

Muteka says that this is not a one-time thing, pointing out that they will be conducting these operations regularly