What is the Road Users Association?
The Road Users Association (RUA) is an organisation that has been formed by interested parties, mainly from the motoring industry and legal profession, to positively influence the unreasonable behaviour of the ZRP at their numerous check points throughout the country.
It is RUA’s belief that the police are acting unconstitutionally and illegally in their harassment of motorists, their imposition of unreasonable fines, their misinterpretation of the laws, and their use of ‘legislation’ that has not been promulgated. Furthermore, the number of roadblocks, sometimes within sight of one another, is excessive and unreasonable.
RUA considers that the actions of the ZRP are harming the economy, undermining public respect for the police, infringing the public’s constitutional rights, discouraging tourism, and placing undue hardship on motorists. Instead of the ‘spot checks’ achieving a ‘reduction in road carnage’, their stated objective, ZRP is often compromising road safety.
Objectives of the Association
1. To co-ordinate legal action to ensure that road users are afforded their rights under the Constitution of Zimbabwe that was enacted by the Parliament of Zimbabwe, and assented to by the President, in 2013.
2. To co-ordinate community projects, including: the online capture of Admission of Guilt ‘tickets’ and a complaints-monitoring process; resolving ‘hotspots’ such as infamous intersections; and liaison with other motoring-based community organisations.
3. To co-ordinate a national effort by all stakeholders who are affected by the unfriendly environment on our roads, including those in the tourism, public transport and motor sectors.
4. To continually engage the ZRP at all levels, on a national basis, to seek a return to FAIR PLAY.