Ruvarashe Takamhanya is believed to have been run over by a
vehicle driven by the diplomat as she was on her way to school in Dema, a town
40km (24 miles) south-east of the capital, Harare.
Her parents say they realise the US diplomat has diplomatic
immunity but an apology might help them recover from the pain and give them a
sense of closure.
"Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of
the girl," a US State Department spokesperson told the BBC, adding that
its Harare embassy was co-operating with local officials.
The embassy "recognises the devastation of this
accident for all involved", the spokesperson said.
Ruvarashe was heading to school with her best friend on a
Monday morning when she was hit as she crossed the main road that runs through
Dema, the BBC has been told.
Her mother, Juliana Vito, said she found out about the
accident from neighbours and ran to the scene.
"I thought she was going to wake up. Till now I keep
thinking it's just a dream. I'm deeply hurt," the 24-year-old told the
BBC.
She said that the driver of the car was not there when she
got to the crash site - and had not reached out directly to the family since.
His colleagues apologised on his behalf, she said, and told
her that that he left the scene because he was "affected by the
accident".
"I felt like he wasn't really sorry," she said.
"I wish he came directly so I could pour my heart out."
The girl’s father, Silvester Takhamanya, told the BBC they
were given $2,000 (£1,575) by the US embassy to cover funeral arrangements.
The US State Department spokesperson confirmed the embassy
had provided "support to the girl’s family" and said representatives
attended the funeral.
But the family feel abandoned in their grief.
"We are trying to be brave," Mr Takamhanya told
the BBC.
Ruvarashe's parents say she lived up to her name, which
means “flower of God” in the Shona language, describing her as sweet, kind and
intelligent.
"People were always amazed by her," her mother,
who is a baker, said proudly.
Police spokesman Paul Nyathi told the BBC the diplomat had
initially said he wanted to rest after the accident, which happened on 3 June,
and that he would then make contact with investigators.
But investigations had stalled as the diplomat left
Zimbabwe not long after the accident, according to Mr Nyathi.
Zimbabwe's presidential spokesman George Charamba has
expressed outrage at his conduct.
"When a diplomat is involved in a fatal traffic accident, uses the pretext of counselling, which he thinks is only available in his country, and then decides to stay away from police, he or she moves from being a diplomat to a fugitive," he told a local newspaper last month.
Government spokesperson Nick Mangwana was more tactful in
his response to the BBC.
But he explained the Vienna Convention, on which diplomatic
immunity is founded, “gives both privileges and responsibilities”.
“Whilst what happened was an unfortunate fatal accident
which resulted in the tragic loss of the life of one of our nationals, there is
an expectation that the parties involved would take responsibility and do the
right thing by the family of the victim as well as by the laws of this country.
“It is part of diplomats’ responsibility to abide by and
comply with the laws of the host country.”
The US State Department spokesperson said the embassy would
continue to communicate with the police and other officials as they complete
their investigation.
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