Story by Kenias Chivuzhe
ZIMBABWE is in mourning following a devastating road traffic accident that claimed 17 lives after a BRD Coach bus veered off the road and overturned along the Harare-Nyamapanda Highway near Suswe Business Centre on Tuesday.
The bus, which was carrying 63 passengers travelling from Cape Town, South Africa, to Malawi, is reported to have developed mechanical challenges before the fatal crash.
Eyewitnesses described the accident as highly disturbing.
“I was seated at my homestead, and I saw the bus veering off the road. We then rushed to assist the victims,” a villager said.
“Reports indicate that the bus had some challenges as it had a breakdown in Mutoko before coming here. The bus had a tyre burst, but the driver failed to control the bus. There were people trapped inside the bus, but some were assisted to get out of the bus through the windows. I was the first one to get into the bus,” a witness said.
“We arrived at the scene around 4 PM with the Suswe community helping the accident victims. We joined forces to assist the affected people,” Kotwa District Hospital Superintendent Dr Kudzai Kudakwashe Madamombe said.
The ZBC News crew also spoke to survivors, who described the horror of the crash.
“We lost our families and friends. The bus was not in condition, and the bus had some tyre and mechanical problems. We once had a breakdown, but it was not properly attended to. The driver was speeding. The bus was speeding,” Enock Sisya said.
“We were on our way to Malawi. We once had a breakdown, and it was fixed. The bus was moving fast. It seems as if the brakes were not working. The shaft also had a problem,” Solomon Steven said.
Kotwe District Hospital authorities revealed that five critical patients have been taken to Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare, while most of the patients at the hospital and those in Mutoko are stable.
“We received 35 patients, and we lost two people, and we had six bodies to make a total of eight bodies. Some of the bodies and patients are at Mutoko District Hospital. We have sent five most critical patients to Parirenyatwa hospital in Harare. The rest of them have got moderate to mild injuries, and they are due for discharge, and others will probably be discharged tomorrow,” Dr Madomombe said.
Mashonaland East Minister of State, Advocate Itayi Ndudzo, also visited the accident scene before going to Kotwa and Mutoko District Hospitals, where the survivors are being treated.
“It is with deep sadness that we find ourselves in this situation where a BRD luxury bus coach was bound for Malawi and was coming from Cape Town, carrying on board Malawian citizens, although the crew members of the bus were all Zimbabweans who got involved in the accident,” he said.
“We are advised that there was a mechanical fault, and the driver lost control of the bus, which veered off the road, turning off, and resulting in the passengers being trapped within the bus, but thanks to the sterling efforts of the district civil protection unit, led by the Zimbabwe public police and other security forces. They were frantic efforts to expeditiously assist the situation. We then later established that, as a matter of fact, 14 passengers had passed on on site, largely being trapped in between the seats.
“All the deceased were taken to our mortuaries, eight bodies were taken to our mortuary in Kotwa, and the others were taken to our mortuary in Mutoko. It is a very disturbing and sad situation, and the government of Zimbabwe, through the relevant ministries, departments and agencies of the state, is doing the best it can to ameliorate the situation and ease the burden on the deceased families, and presently the government of Zimbabwe has been giving treatment to all the affected persons.
“It is also very sad to learn that the driver, who is a Zimbabwean who is from this area, also passed on. We are very sorry we have lost our brothers who are from our continent, who are part of us, and it’s sad to lose a soul, especially a soul from within your neighbourhood,” he said.
Minister Ndudzo says the government will go beyond its means to assist the bereaved and survivors.
