Story by Tafara Chikumira
KWEKWE – A sombre atmosphere engulfed the City of Kwekwe as thousands of people gathered at a local funeral parlour to give a befitting send-off to the 12 people who perished in a road traffic accident in the city this Wednesday.
The fatal accident, which involved three vehicles, claimed the lives of Reward Nyatsongo, Farai Besenti, Beauty Muberekwi, Saturday Moramasa, Joshua Muza, Maria Jasi, Manuel Magomana, James Ncube, Emmely Fuchewuke, Violet Juja, Marius Mapanzure, and Henry Mutambara.
In recognition of the scale of the tragedy, President Emmerson Mnangagwa granted state-assisted funerals to the deceased and declared the incident a national disaster.
“The numbers of the deceased prompted us to request for assistance and President Mnangagwa granted the accident a national disaster status. Let us travel safely as we go to lay our beloved ones to rest,” Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Hon Owen Ncube said.
Relatives of the accident victims expressed gratitude to the government for its support.
“It is a painful loss indeed. However, we take solace that his burial has been made easy by the government. We now have somewhere to start,” a relative to one of the deceased said.
“Death robbed us unexpectedly and we did not know what to do until we were advised that the government has come up with this gesture,” another noted.
Observers say the Kwekwe road traffic accident is a constant reminder of the need for motorists to adhere to road rules and exercise extreme caution behind the wheels to avoid the unnecessary loss of lives on the country’s roads.
