adminWalter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
THE Officer Commanding 42 Infantry Brigade in Masvingo, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Gwangwava has died. He was 55. Lt Col Gwangwava died on the spot on Sunday when a vehicle he was travelling in lost control, veered off the road and hit a tree near Kyle College.
Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Peter Zhanero confirmed the accident which happened at about 11pm.
“I confirm a report on the death of Lt Col Gwangwava in a car accident. He was coming from town going back to 4.1 Command Camp where there was an end of the year party,” he said.
Insp Zhanero said police attended the scene and took the body to Masvingo General Hospital mortuary.
Lt Col Gwangwava has since been declared a provincial hero and was buried at Masvingo Provincial Heroes Acre yesterday.
The late Lt Col Gwangwava brother Retired Lt Col Kenias Gwangwava said the late army officer had gone to town to look for cash. “At around 10pm, there was no free beer at the party as everything was accessed on cash basis. My young brother did not have more cash, so he decided to drive to town to collect some money from his transport business,” he said.
“After he collected the money, he came back and on reaching Kyle College about three kilometres from the Masvingo-Mutare turn off, he lost control of the vehicle and it veered off the road uprooting some trees before hitting a big one.”
He said when they arrived at the scene of accident, they could not find his body but only saw the jacket he was wearing hanging from a tree. “Upon arriving at the scene of accident we tried to look for his body but could not find it. We tried his number and that is when we heard the phone ringing from a tree. The phone was in the jacket which was hanging from a tree,” he said.
Lt Col Gwangwava is survived by his wife Cathrine and eight children.
Online Reporter