Take a spin down almost any Malawian highway and you will see how vandals quietly strip away signs and railings in the dark. But beside that covert carnage lies the daylight destruction: crumpled guardrails, snapped lamp-posts and wrecked bus stands smashed by motorists who show up with licence plates, logbooks and insurance policies.
Stopping the midnight thieves may be tricky, but holding motorists to account should not be mission impossible.
Road infrastructure is the whole ensemble—the bridges that miraculously stand, the traffic lights that sometimes work, the signs that occasionally remain upright, the guardrails once guarded and the drainage systems overwhelmed during the rainy season.
Each piece testifies to billions of kwacha spent, government plans and the hope that they will last longer than a politician’s promise. It’s the stuff we all paid for, but only notice when it is missing.
Billions have flowed into all manner of road furniture, all in the hope of smoother journeys and safer travel.
Yet, for every bridge, signage and barriers painstakingly constructed, there always seems to be a driver eager to see how much knock it can bear.
Every bit of the road is paid for by the public purse, so you would think everyone might feel a little protective.
Yet when a vehicle flattens a barrier or a lamp post flying, the typical response is a quick photo for social media. The unwritten rule is simple: break public property and let the rest of us pay for it.
Yet Section 124 of the Road Traffic Act requires any driver who damages public property to stop and report it. Must, not “should” or “if you feel like it”.
Section 12(k) empowers the Roads Authority (RA) to recover repair costs from the offending driver or their insurer.
Section 67 of the Public Roads Act adds bite with criminal penalties—fines of up to K25 million and a five-year imprisonment for anyone who damages public roads, bridges, or signs.
Additionally, vehicles are supposed to have insurance that pays up for any damages incurred by a third party.
On paper, it is a foolproof system: Drivers are responsible, authorities are empowered and insurers are standing by with cheque books at the ready.
In reality, enforcement is rare. Repairs are quietly funded by the public, not by the guilty party or their insurer. Police reports and claims often vanish without a trace.
Even when drivers and insurers settle claims after an accident, the battered road accessories are conveniently treated as collateral damage—ignored by all, paid for by everyone.
Meanwhile, drivers are blissfully unaware that flattening a signpost is supposed to be a legal and financial headache.
Although RA and local councils are legally tasked to chase offenders and recover costs, most cases are lost in bureaucracy, leaving taxpayers to pick up the tab.
While laws look perfect on paper, the journey from law to action is full of potholes. The result? Laws, like roads themselves, are solid in theory, but crumbling in practice. The cycle of crash, ignore and repair continues uninterrupted by any actual consequences.
RA is the official bounty-hunter for bent guardrails. Councils track smaller streets, while police collect the clues and hand over a tidy file. Next, RA files a claim to the insurer, who—in theory—coughs up.
Ministries supervise and every citizen, including the guilty driver, is meant to report the smash and wait for justice.
Despite this beautiful choreography, almost nothing happens, most damage is quietly repaired with taxpayer money, some officials do not know the law and drivers often do not care.
However, authorities ought to treat road furniture like it actually costs money—because it does.
Responsible offices should learn their lines, insurers should dust off their cheque books and enforcement teams ought to wake up from their naps.
Every smashed sign has a guilty wallet attached. It should not be topped up by the blameless taxpayer.
Vandalism is guerrilla warfare—sneaky and hard to pin down—but crash damage marches in broad daylight with licence plates and insurance policies. Track it and bill it.
