The victims
were travelling in a Honda Fit that was involved in a head-on collision with a
haulage truck along the Nyamapanda road. Community members say the tragedy
underscores the risks posed by overcrowding and dangerous driving practices
associated with illegal transport operators.
An eyewitness
described the incident as sudden and shocking.
“It happened so
fast. I was preparing to dish out to my family when I saw a haulage truck
coming from Nyamapanda, and then I heard the sound of brakes. In a short time,
I saw a Honda Fit under the truck, and I screamed. The Honda Fit was dragged
for about 20 meters, and when they halted, it was a disaster,” Ms Florence
Mafigo said.
Citizens have
called for decisive enforcement.
“I do not
understand how a car, which is supposed to carry at most five people, had 10
people in it and they passed through roadblocks. Action has to be taken if we
are serious about keeping everyone safe on the road,” Mr Walter Mutize said.
“It will be
helpful if the pirate taxis are banned because we are losing lives every day
because of the way the drivers behave on the road,” Mrs Monica Mupandaguta
said.
“Just last week
in Parliament, I spoke about the need to improve our public transport system so
that commuters do not have to be desperate and use pirate taxis. It is
unfortunate that lives were lost tragically; our systems have to be tightened
so that we deal with mushika shikas,” Mudzi West Constituency legislator,
Honourable Knowledge Kaitano said.
The accident
happened on Wednesday morning, and bodies are now being collected from Kotwa
hospital to their respective homesteads for funeral rites.
The government
has been putting in place measures to curb road carnage, but it seems more
still needs to be done, especially during holidays. ZBC
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