It is rare for those who witness road accidents to smile, but hundreds of villagers near Victoria Falls yesterday had a bus accident to thank after they walked away with chunks of meat after three elephants were killed in the accident.
However, all 18 passengers and the bus crew were not
injured after the CAG Travellers bus they were travelling in rammed into a herd
of elephants about 35km outside Victoria Falls, killing three jumbos on the
spot.
The accident occurred just after 5am near Mbizha turn off
along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road.
Witnesses commended the bus driver, Mr Daniel Mapfumo, for
managing to control the bus and avoiding hitting trees in the process, as the
bus stopped on the side of the road about 50 metres from where the carcasses
were.
Villagers skin elephants that were hit by a CAG Travellers
bus yesterday
The news crew visited the accident scene and found scores
of villagers from nearby Masikili and Mbizha villages, as well as some from as
far as Lupinyu (about 20km away), some from Victoria Falls City, Chikandakubi
and Chenamisa already gathered waiting to share the meat.
Some came on bicycles, cars and scotch carts while some
boarded public transport from Victoria Falls and police were kept busy
controlling the crowd.
Villagers were already skinning the elephants with Zimbabwe
Parks and Wildlife Management Authority rangers and police monitoring the
situation. The crowd kept swelling and by 11am, there were more than 100 people
gathered.
The news crew observed tyre marks showing that the driver applied breaks before swerving to the left to avoid a herd of elephants that had “suddenly” appeared on the road, and then back to the road narrowly missing a tree which is just three metres from the edge of the road, and then to the point when he hit the elephants.
The three carcasses were lying next to each other on the
left side of the road.
“I suddenly saw the elephants and applied breaks while
swerving to the left.
There were three groups so as I avoided the first, I saw another
herd ahead. The three were in the middle of the road and suddenly they turned
at once, giving their back to the bus and they were hit at once,” said the
driver, Mr Mapfumo.
A witness Mr Arnold Sibanda who was driving behind the bus
when the accident occurred, commended Mr Mapfumo’s driving skills.
“It was early in the morning because the bus left Victoria
Falls at 5am.
This is a crossing area for elephants and he encountered a
large group that was crossing to the direction of the community.
The driver tried to avoid the first herd by swerving to the
left.
He narrowly missed a tree and he redirected the bus back to
the road,, but there was another herd that was in the middle of the road as it
was crossing.
He tried to avoid hitting the second herd, but there was no
chance.
The bus hit the three elephants, but the driver worked hard
to save lives and controlling the bus until it stopped.
I was driving at 90km per hour behind the bus which means
it was traveling at almost the same speed,” said Mr Sibanda.
Village head for Masikili Village one, Mr Lowani George
Moyo said while the accident was unfortunate, villagers were happy to get the
meat.
Nonetheless, Zanu-PF Hwange District Coordinating Committee
chair Cde Matthew Muleya urged drivers to exercise caution especially when
driving along the Victoria Falls-Bulawayo road because of the presence of
wildlife.
“Animals cross from the national park to communities so
drivers should be cautious so that we save lives.
These buses travel at night and we urge them not to speed
on this road,” he said.
Passengers were switched to another bus and proceeded with
their journey. Police could not immediately comment on the accident. Sunday
News
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