Carriers ask for “defensive driving” after accident with 24 dead

“ ANDle [the driver of the semi-collective passenger] was raped in his lane, what we have to appeal is that all drivers, whether they are truck drivers, buses, must always opt for defensive driving ", explained the president of Fematro, Paulo Muthisse, in a press conference in Maputo.

An accident that occurred around 23:00 locals (22:00 in Lisbon) on Thursday, on National Road Number One (N1), in the locality of Helene, province of Inhambane, southern Mozambique, when a passenger transport vehicle hit a truck of the Mozambique Defense Armed Forces (FADM), killed 24 people and injured two others, with police pointing out speeding and mechanical failures between the causes.

Today, Mozambican transporters point out that the driver of the semi-collective of passengers overcrowded the vehicle that had only 15 seats, but rejected driving outside of schedule as one of the causes.

“ This car carried more than 15 people, but on the way out, at the place of departure (...) it left there with 15 passengers and once again it was the irresponsibility of our driver who did not comply with the rules and guidelines given, this is the responsibility of the driver, it is not the guidance of the patron and the associations that look for that route ", said the president of Fematro.

Thus, Fematro wants to be part of police road surveillance teams, indicating that it can help control and solve the problem of overcrowding of registered cars in passenger transport associations.

“ We call on the government that we want to be part of the inspection to control our vehicles, we have alternatives, because if one car has overcrowded immediately we call another for passenger transport ", said Paulo Muthisse.

The Head of State lamented the loss of human lives in one of the most serious road accidents registered this year in the country and advocated the adoption of measures to help reduce road accidents.

The Minister of National Defense, Christopher Chume, confirmed that the accident involved a FADM vehicle that was heading south-north and a passenger vehicle that was moving in the opposite direction.

In turn, the spokesperson for the FADM, Omar Saranga, explained that the military vehicle was part of a logistics column that moved to the site of the celebrations of Armed Forces Day on September 25, adding that the circumstances of the accident continue to be established.

Road accidents remain one of the main causes of death in Mozambique. Data released on Thursday by the PRM indicate that at least 239 people died and 1,112 were injured in 169 traffic accidents registered in the first half of this year.

According to official data, the country registered 611 road accidents in 2025, of which 830 were killed, a situation which led the government to proceed with the revision of the Road Code.

In June, the Council of Ministers approved an authorisation for the review of that diploma, proposing the introduction of the driving licence by points and the use of video surveillance cameras to strengthen road surveillance.

The proposal also provides for the strengthening of mechanisms for the monitoring and control of road offences, as well as the harmonisation of road code rules with national criminal law.