By CHUSA SICHONE –
THE Road Service Appeal Tribunal has ruled that the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) reinstates Mazhandu Family Bus Services Limited’s Road Service License on condition that the company meets conditions set by the agency.
The decision was arrived at after RTSA and Mazhandu reached an agreement during the Road Service Appeal Tribunal sitting, which Transport and Communications Minister Brian Mushimba appointed to hear Mazhandu’s appeal over the indefinite suspension of its license by RTSA in February this year.
According to the consent Judgment dated April 20, 2017, the two parties agreed that Mazhandu’s license would be restored if the company availed all its vehicles to RTSA for road worthiness inspection on or before May 31, 2017.
The road worthiness inspection is pursuant to Section 126 of the Road Traffic Act No. 11 of 2002.
“The appellant shall avail all its drivers to the respondent for retest pursuant to Section 68 (1) (c) of the Road Traffic Act No. 11 of 2002 on or before May, 31 2017,” the judgment reads in part.
The other condition was that Mazhandu implements the 2017 Workplace Road Safety Policy on or before May 31 this year.
The Workplace Road Safety Policy encompasses driver management, vehicle management, journey management, health and safety at the workplace and organisational management, monitoring and evaluation.
The last condition was that each party meets its own costs of the proceedings.
The Road Service Appeal Tribunal chaired by Chief State Advocate Joe Simachela started hearing the appeal case on April 19, 2017.
Mazhandu was represented by Messrs ICN Legal Practitioners while RTSA was represented by its legal department.
RTSA indefinitely suspended Mazhandu’s licence on February 1, this year; a day after one of its buses killed 10 people in a road traffic accident in Central Province and because of the company’s deteriorating road safety record since 2013.
In an interview yesterday, Mr Mushimba said Mazhandu’s licence remained suspended until the company met conditions in question.
