Cattle on B1 raise safety concerns
The sight of cattle wandering along the roads has reached Parliament, with concerns raised over the growing danger posed to motorists on the B1 road towards Brakwater. Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani raised the issue during yesterday's parliament session to the Minster of Works and Transport Veikko Nekundi saying the B1 had increasingly become a place where cattle roam freely.
Venaani questioned why cattle were being allowed onto the road and what action was being taken to address the situation. He also pointed to other areas where livestock are reportedly roaming on major roads, including Grootfontein, saying the problem was not limited to the B1.
In response, Nekundi said livestock roaming on roads was a nationwide issue and not confined to the Brakwater area. He said animal owners have a responsibility to ensure their livestock are kept in fenced-off areas and prevented from roaming freely on roads. He further said government was working on measures to address the problem, including legal reforms that would be brought before Parliament during the current sitting. Under the proposed reforms, responsibility would be placed on both animal owners and vehicle owners in certain circumstances.
“What is important is the education that when you see a donkey or a cow on the road, you don’t waste your time flashing your lights. You don’t expect to flash your lights and expect the animal to run off,” Nekundi said. Nekundi said that once the necessary processes were in place, some national roads could be proclaimed as freeways, allowing infrastructure to be installed to prevent animals from crossing and roaming on the roads.
The issue of roaming livestock remains a concern for road users, particularly on major routes where collisions between vehicles and animals can have serious consequences.
