Castel Malawi supported this year’s Africa Road Safety Day commemorations by dressing up Kabaza operators with 200 branded reflective vests and some branded Shirts worth K2.5 million.
The commemorations took place at Katoto Ground in Mzuzu on Saturday after a big walk from Mzuzu High Court. The commemoration was under the theme Cyclists Adhere to Road Traffic Rules and Regulations, or Else, Hospital or Mortuary Awaits You.
Speaking after officially presenting the goods to the government through Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services (DRTSS) and Guest of honour, Minister of Transport, Jacob Hara, Castel Malawi Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Linda Kolomba said the company values lives including those of their customers and consumers.
“We decided to join this cause because we want to take responsibility in taking care of our customers and consumers. We have our distribution fleet driving on the roads across Malawi every day. These roads are shared with other road users such as pedestrians, motor cyclists as well as bicycle cyclists, who are at risk of accidents. Everyone on the roads including cyclists are our stakeholders, so we need to care. That is why we gave out the reflective vests so that they are visible all the time during the day or night. This can help to reduce accidents on our roads,” she said.
Director of Road Traffic and Safety Services Andrew Sandula commended Castel Malawi for the gesture, saying it will go a long way in eradicating road accidents which have already claimed 121 lives by November this year.
“As government we are very grateful for the support and we are also encouraging other stakeholders to join hands because those reflective materials will be distributed to motorcycle taxi operators so that they should be visible,” said Sandula.
In his speech, Minister Hara also applauded partners like Castel Malawi for their continued support towards road safety.
Last week, Castel Malawi trained its 164 drivers and scooter riders in defensive driving as part of ensuring road safety.
The Africa Road Safety Day was set aside by the Assembly of African Union in 2012.
