Sedie tragedy should inspire safe driving

Editor | Friday August 31, 2007 00:00

At this time of loss it is very easy to start pointing accusing fingers in every direction. We could of course blame the road engineering, over-grown bushes on our highways and congested roads that are used by big haulage trucks that hog the road.
But this is a time of tragedy and we need to be commiserating with the relatives without pointing accusing fingers in any direction for that can only distract us from attending to the job at hand.

This is a tragedy and it is understandable why people would want an end to road accidents that continue to gobble up young Batswana.
 There could of course be a mechanical error in most of these accidents but we believe that in the majority of cases there is something that we can do to put an end to this menace, once and for all.

 
Our hope is that the Sedie tragedy will jostle all of us from the deep slumber that we have been in. If we do not channel our anger and grief to better road safety practices and principles, our children and we are not safe.
It is our desire that the loss of these dear lives should, at the minimum, be used to stop the road carnage through whatever means possible.

What is even more depressing is that the accident claimed young lives which, as we always say, are the treasure of the future. Until we look at the potential and individual talents of each one of the students who perished we will never know the true extent of the setback that the parents, the school, the Maun community and Botswana have suffered out of this loss.

As we all know, the students were returning from a successful sports trip.
The deaths occur at a time when we continue to suffer a serious blow from the scourge of HIV/Aids.

We want to plead with professional counsellors, men of prayer across the religious divide and the community to help the Sedie students, teachers and the entire Maun community to go through this trying phase. Next term schools will resume for the third term, to prepare for the final examinations for the completing classes.

Without adequate counselling and enough emotional coping skills, students might find this phase difficult to traverse and they will need the support from people of goodwill.
We hear that a teacher and a driver in one of the vehicles also lost their lives. During these trying times our thoughts and prayers are with their families after the tragic loss.

Today's Thought
It is matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence under no circumstances can it be neglected.
- Sun Tzu