Story by Lisa Masuku
A funeral service has been held in Bulawayo for the 22 people who perished in a road traffic accident that occurred in Esigodini, along the Bulawayo – Beitbridge highway Tuesday evening.
A sombre atmosphere engulfed the Hockey Stadium in Bulawayo as the bodies of the 22 accident victims lay in coffins at a memorial service held this Friday.
It was an emotional moment for the families who lost their loved ones in the Bulawayo-Beitbridge Highway accident this Tuesday.
A family representative of an accident victim said, “As the Ndlovu family, we lost Sibonginkosi Ndlovu. We are really sad but what I want to emphasise on is that we should unite and work together. Let’s not blame anyone for what happened. What we can do is to just wait for the law to take its course.”
“We are very grateful to the government for all the assistance but I want to plead with the government to try and fix our roads,” said another representative.
Chief mourner and Permanent Secretary for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Mrs Lathiso Dlamini – Maseko said each family will receive two million Zimbabwe dollars and a 50kg bag of maize to meet burial expenses.
“Once there is such an occurrence, the government takes over and this then becomes a state-assisted funeral. So each family will receive a bag of maize and 2 million Zimbabwe dollars,” she said.
The Bulawayo community observed a minute of silence at the funeral service in remembrance of the accident victims.
