The accident
occurred mid-morning when the truck reportedly swerved to avoid a Honda Fit,
veered into the opposite lane and collided with a Chitungwiza-bound kombi.
The smaller
vehicle was crushed under the truck, leaving very little of the kombi intact.
Rescue teams
worked for hours to extract bodies from the wreckage.
Witnesses
described a chaotic scene, with screams of trapped passengers being heard
before emergency crews arrived.
The highway was
closed for several hours, causing severe traffic disruptions.
Speaking to
NewsDay last night, Passenger Association of Zimbabwe president Tafadzwa
Goliati expressed shock over lack of equipment to help to extricate accident
victims timeously.
“It is sad that
the victims could be heard crying for help while trapped in the wreckage. We
also understand that the general public tried to assist them with no success,”
he said.
“What happened
this morning was an unfortunate and painful event because it shows that we are
not prepared for such accidents. It also shows that if response was fast
enough, some lives could have been rescued. Unfortunately, we are not prepared
for such accidents as a nation.”
Goliati also
expressed concern over accidents.
“Some of these
accidents should not be happening, especially after some witnesses indicated
that a part disengaged and came off one of the vehicles before the accident.
“We are
encouraging the authorities to take serious action, including capacitating the
police and VID so that they are available on the highways and look at these
vehicles,” he said.
Zimbabwe
Republic Police national spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said last night
that the haulage truck, which was travelling towards the Harare central
business district with two occupants, lost control and veered onto the oncoming
lane.
“The truck hit
two pedestrians who were walking on the island of the road. The pedestrians
died on the spot. The truck went on to collide, head-on, with a Nissan Caravan
kombi travelling in the opposite direction towards Chitungwiza with 17
passengers on board.
“As a result of
the collision, the truck dragged the Nissan Caravan kombi off the road and
overturned. It then landed on top of the kombi in the process, trapping it.
“Subsequently,
15 people, who were in the kombi, including the driver, died on the spot while
four others (three from the kombi and one from the truck) were injured.”
He said the
victims included 10 females and seven males.
“The bodies of
the victims were taken to Chitungwiza Hospital mortuary for post-mortem, while
the injured were taken to the same institution for treatment.
Chitungwiza
mayor councillor Rosaria Mangoma said the scale of the tragedy was
heartbreaking.
“When I visited
the scene with acting town clerk Japson Nemuseso and some councillors, I was
met with an image too painful to describe as emergency services worked
tirelessly to retrieve the deceased and assist the injured.
“It was one of
the most disturbing and traumatic scenes our community has witnessed in recent
memory. What I witnessed was truly heartbreaking.”
Mangoma
appealed to the government to declare the accident a state of national
disaster.
“Doing so will
unlock vital resources towards assisting the bereaved in mourning their loved
ones,” she said.
“We appeal for
national support. In a short space of time, our community has endured the
trauma of four serious road traffic accidents along Seke Road — each one
claiming precious lives.
“As we mourn
the lives lost, I urge all motorists to exercise extreme caution on our roads.
No journey is worth a life.”
The crash adds
to Zimbabwe’s rising road death toll this year, following other major
accidents, including a Beitbridge collision that killed 24 people early in
2025.
Accidents
during the Easter and Independence holidays claimed 24 lives and a total of 384
road traffic accidents were recorded during the period.
Traffic Safety
Council of Zimbabwe managing director Munesu Munodawafa appealed to drivers to
exercise extreme caution on the roads, adding that vehicles with defects must
stay off the road.
“It is sad when
we have such instances where lives are lost in this manner. From the look of
things, it would appear there may have been vehicle defects which are still to
be ascertained by the authorities, the VID and the police, but all the same, we
want to appeal to all the drivers to ensure that their vehicles are fit for
purpose,” he said.
Munodawafa said
while the council was not blaming anyone at this stage until investigations are
concluded, they believed that if the driver had behaved in a different manner
and exercised caution “as we are calling for, the incident would not have
happened”. Newsday
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