MINIBUS OWNERS STILL OPPOSED TO INSPECTIONS

The Mozambican Federation of Road Transport Operators (FEMATRO) is still resisting the government’s road safety plans, which involve regular compulsory inspections of all vehicles on the country’s roads.Interviewed by the independent television station STV, the deputy chairperson of FEMATRO, Luis Munguambe, claimed that “too many items” are being checked by the vehicle inspectors. He demanded that the government review the regulations for the inspections – particularly for the privately-owned minibuses licensed to carry passengers (and known colloquially as “chapas”).In other words, FEMATRO wants less stringent inspection for passenger vehicles than for other types of car or truck – while basic road safety logic is that vehicles licensed to carry passengers should be held to the highest possible standards of safety.Munguambe claimed that the “avalanche of conditions” demanded by the inspectors could “destabilize” transport in the country, particularly in Maputo and the neighbouring city of Matola.Minor faults are noted, but are not enough for a vehicle to fail the test. Only faults which pose a major risk to life and limb (such as defective brakes) will lead to the vehicle being banned from the roads.The chapa owners have been campaigning against the inspections ever since they were introduced in February 2010. Initially the government set a deadline of six months for all vehicles to be inspected. Faced with a massive boycott by motorists, the government backed down, using as its excuse that most of the provincial inspection centres were not yet functioning (but those in Maputo and Matola, where most of the country’s vehicles are concentrated) were fully operational.Now there is a new deadline – all vehicles are to be inspected by the end of this month. As from 1 July, the police can seize any vehicle not displaying the sticker indicating that it has passed the inspection.The chairperson of the National Traffic Institute (INAV), Alfredo Sitoe, told STV that the inspections divide vehicle faults into three categories. In the case of those which cause no risk to the vehicle’s passengers, the owner has three months in which to repair them.The second category includes faults which should be repaired within 60 days. Surprisingly enough, these faults include bald tyres, which can be lethal.Only in cases where the vehicle poses an immediate danger (such as defective brakes or steering) will it be ordered off the road until the fault is fixed.