‘Drive recklessly, we will intercept you’ – Nekundi

Patience Makwele

Works and transport minister Veiko Nekundi on Saturday warned motorists using the Karibib-Usakos road that reckless driving will no longer go unnoticed, with a new surveillance and emergency response system set to give traffic officers the ability to track dangerous motorists and intercept them further along the route.

The warning comes as a N$552 million upgrade of the 31-kilometre Karibib-Usakos road has been completed, alongside a N$60 million emergency response and traffic management facility at the Arandis turn-off.

Nekundi said cameras installed along the corridor would allow the control centre to identify vehicles and alert traffic officers stationed ahead of motorists who are driving recklessly.

“If you drive recklessly, the control centre will immediately communicate with the nearest traffic officers in the direction you are travelling,” he said.

He gave the example of a motorist travelling towards Usakos who is caught driving dangerously after passing Arandis, saying officers stationed at the Usakos entrance could be alerted and positioned to intercept the vehicle.

The system includes two-way cameras capable of identifying vehicle registration numbers and owners, as well as electronic road signs linked to the control centre.

Permanent traffic officers will also be stationed at strategic points along the route, including the Arandis road and the entrance to Swakopmund on the Walvis Bay turn-off, with standby traffic vehicles available to respond to incidents.

The move comes amid continued concerns over crashes along the busy corridor, which carries an average of 2 975 vehicles a day.

Nekundi said 2 040 of these were light vehicles, while 935 were heavy vehicles, making the route one of the country’s busiest.

“With sadness, this stretch of road has witnessed many accidents over the years due to heavy traffic, especially during the holiday seasons, although most accidents are caused by reckless driving,” he said.

He said road-user safety had been central to the Karibib-Usakos upgrade.

The project, which started in November 2023, has widened the road to a 13.44-metre cross-section and added overtaking lanes, strengthened and widened bridges, upgraded drainage and improved pedestrian infrastructure.

It also included the rehabilitation and upgrading of Karibib road, construction of a new district access road and the Cannon River Hospital Bridge. Consultancy services were valued at more than N$53 million.

The upgraded route forms part of the Trans-Kalahari, Trans-Cunene, Trans-Orange and Walvis Bay Development Corridors, linking Namibia with neighbouring countries and supporting access to the port of Walvis Bay.

German ambassador-designate Thomas Wimmer said transport infrastructure remained an important part of the partnership between Namibia and Germany.

He said Germany had supported the rehabilitation and construction of about 1 800 kilometres of roads across Namibia, including sections of the Kavango-Zambezi link, the Windhoek-Okahandja corridor and the B1 in the south.

Roads Authority board chairperson Martins Kambulu said the authority had delivered N$16.5 billion worth of road construction and maintenance works over the past five years.
“Over the past five years, the Roads Authority has delivered road construction and maintenance works valued at N$16.5 billion. Of this amount, approximately N$9.25 billion, or 56%, was executed by local contractors, while foreign contractors and foreign joint ventures accounted for about N$7.25 billion,” Kambulu said.

He said expanding opportunities for Namibian contractors remained a priority.

In Usakos, the completion of the road marked a major infrastructure milestone, with mayor Clerens Katorab urging motorists to obey speed limits, respect road signs and protect the newly upgraded infrastructure.

“We urge all motorists to obey speed limits, respect road signs and protect this newly upgraded infrastructure. This road is an important investment in the town and the wider region, and its benefits will only be realised if road users use it responsibly,” Katorab said.

The next phase of the road development will focus on the Usakos-Arandis section and the Khan River Bridge.