A wave of grief has swept across Manicaland following a series of devastating road accidents last week, claiming the lives of four people, including a 10-year-old boy, and leaving dozens injured. The accidents, spread across different locations in the province, highlight the urgent need for improved road safety measures and driver responsibility.
Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka, attributed the tragic incidents to a combination of speeding and negligence. He detailed one particularly harrowing incident: “On November 3, Andrew Upenyu Nyaota was driving a truck along Rusape-Hwedza Road with no passengers on board, and upon approaching the 191km peg, he ran over Takudzwa Chingadza (10) from Chenga Village,” Assistant Inspector Chinyoka explained. He noted that Nyaota stopped only 15 metres past the point of impact.
The young boy, Takudzwa, suffered critical injuries, including severe head trauma and a deep cut below his right eye. Sadly, he succumbed to his injuries upon arrival at Rusape General Hospital. The details underscore the devastating consequences of even seemingly minor collisions at high speed.
Another accident, involving a hired Gold Class bus carrying Chipinge Junior Primary School learners and teachers, resulted in further tragedy. The bus, travelling along the Mutare-Harare Highway near Rusape, was involved in a serious accident at Crofton Farm. The impact was severe, resulting in the death of a teacher who was thrown from the bus and trapped beneath the wreckage.
Twenty-five learners were also injured in the incident, three sustaining serious head injuries requiring specialist care. These learners were transferred to Harare Hospital for advanced medical attention, while the remaining injured were treated at Rusape General Hospital. The sheer number of casualties highlights the scale of the disaster.
National police spokesperson, Commissioner Paul Nyathi, provided further details on the bus accident, attributing the cause to an overtaking manoeuvre gone wrong.
“On approaching the 165km peg along the Mutare-Harare Highway, the driver tried to overtake a haulage truck, but due to speeding, he lost control of the bus. The bus veered off the road to the right side, overturned and landed on its left side, facing the northern direction. The Zimbabwe Republic Police has established that one female adult died on the spot. Twenty-five learners and six adults were injured. They have been taken to Rusape General Hospital,” Commissioner Nyathi stated.
The bus, carrying a total of 53 learners, six teachers, and a School Development Committee (SDC) member, was returning from a school trip in Harare when the accident occurred. Makoni District Schools Inspector (DSI), Mr George Chidwakwa, who was present at the scene, confirmed these details. The Makoni District Medical Officer (DMO), Dr Tendai Nyafesa, also confirmed that the injured were receiving treatment at Rusape General Hospital.
A third accident, occurring at the Sakubva Bus terminus, added to the grim toll. This incident involved a Pungwe Breweries delivery truck driven by Fungai Madenyanga (52). The truck, intended for a beer delivery at a nearby bottle store, suffered brake failure. The driver lost control, causing the truck to crash into the boom gate of the terminus.
The impact resulted in six vendors being struck. Sadly, two of these vendors, Mirriam Chinambwa Sithole and Emma Zvitei Mbamba, died at Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital. Three others – Marvis Madomgore (53), Priscila Mapanda (17), and Rumbidzai Sithole (45) – sustained head and back injuries.
