A horrific early Sunday morning accident along the Masvingo-Beitbridge highway near Bubi has claimed two lives and left two others seriously injured. The collision involved three buses – a Tombs Motorways bus, a Rimbi Tours bus, and a Mbokodo Transport bus – resulting in a devastating pile-up.
The sequence of events, pieced together from police reports and eyewitness accounts, paints a grim picture. It began around 4 am when a Tombs Motorways bus struck a donkey, forcing it to pull over to the side of the road at approximately the 192km peg.
A Mbokodo Transport bus subsequently stopped to assist the stranded passengers from the Tombs bus. Tragedy struck when a speeding Rimbi Tours bus, allegedly driven by a driver who had lost control, crashed into the rear of the Tombs bus, causing a chain reaction.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the fatalities and injuries, stating: “A Rimbi Tours bus rammed into the trailer of the Tombs Motorways bus before ramming into the Mbokodo bus. Two people died and two others were injured.” The injured are currently receiving treatment at Beitbridge District Hospital.
Commissioner Nyathi’s statement corroborates details provided by an eyewitness in a social media video. The eyewitness described the events as follows: “Three buses have collided just after Bubi. Tombs hit a donkey and it died on the spot. So Mbokodo pulled over to help and whilst they were still stationary, an overspeeding and probably sleeping Rimbi bus driver hit them.”
Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa provided further details, confirming the death toll and the ongoing investigation. “Two people lost their lives, details are still sketchy, and police are yet to get in touch with the deceased’s next of kin,” Inspector Dhewa stated. He also confirmed that the injured were taken to Beitbridge District Hospital.
A more detailed account from other sources reveals that one fatality was a passenger in the Tombs bus, killed instantly when the Rimbi bus struck the Tombs bus trailer. The second victim tragically died after jumping from a window of the speeding Rimbi bus as it veered off the road. The impact of the Rimbi bus also caused the Mbokodo bus to overturn, resulting in the injuries to the two other victims. The exact destinations of the three buses remain unclear.
