Dark Month For Rusape Community

…. as 5 perish in road accidents

By Shingirai Vambe

RUSAPE has been plunged into mourning after 5 known residents died one night in seperate accidents while the sixth one is recovering in hospital after she was involved in an accident on the 7th of this month.

September will be a month the Rusape community wouldn’t want to remember, a dark cloud covered the District of Makoni with sorrow and tears after losing their loved ones in Road Traffic Accidents (RTA).

It was Thursday evening when the news about an SA commuter omnibus was reportedly involved in a side swipe with a haulage truck which was heading to Beitbridge and four people who were on board died on the spot.

Residents received the news with shock as some of them were business entrepreneurs and a spirit of unity was shown during the period where people from across the political divide, churches and various organizations gathered to bury the deceased bodies. Silverbow cemetery was fully packed with burials of the dead coming one after the other.

The same day, same evening the accident took place in Beitbride, one known supporter and fan of Manchester United football club, Joe Rukweza was involved in an accident on his way from Dorowa where he hit a cow at Mutiweshiri, lost control of the vehicle, veered off the road, hit a tree and died on the spot.

Rukweza’s untimely death shocked many who last saw him the very day when he was going to Dorowa.

Regardless of the manjuzu conspiracy which was being said during the funeral associated with his friend, Mable, hundreds drove to his rural home, in Wedza, to pay their last respect and lay him to rest. It was a painful moment for ‘Rusapeans’ as they described him as a free spirit and loving person.

Barely a week later,a known catholic, Monica Chibi on her way to her farm. A few meters away from her farm, employees rushed to the scene when a Trip-Trans bus hit her on the driver side, when she was turning to the right while the bus was speeding and overtaking along Harare Mutare Highway at Mhandara farm.

Chibi was rushed to Rusape General Hospital where she is being attended to and recovering. The car was damaged beyond repair.

The Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe has since issued a statement together with the Zimbabwe republic Police that majority of RTA are due to human error and negligent driving. Since the August holiday, many accidents with casualties have been reported this year, 2022.