adminChegutu Road.
Meanwhile police in Louis Trichardt, South Africa have identified seven of the 14 Zimbabweans killed in a road accident, 7km out of the town along the N1 road on Sunday morning.
This brings to 22, the number of people killed in road accidents within a week.
Those identified are Cecilia Tshuma (34), Mqa Nyoni (34), Tembelani Dube (32), Nonceba Dube (5) all of Bulawayo and Emmerson Ncube (26) of Gokwe, Tendai Dube (32) of Hwange and Tauyanashe Sydney.
Police were yesterday being assisted by officials from the Zimbabwe Consulate in Johannesburg to identify the bodies and four were taken to Bulawayo for burial, while efforts were being made to identify the others.
Zimbabwe’ Consular General to South Africa, Mr Godfrey Magwenzi, said they were working together with other stakeholders and relatives of the victims to facilitate repatriation.
Those families who would fail to meet the repatriation costs, he said, had been referred to South Africa’s Road Accident Fund which has since offered to buy coffins and meet repatriation costs.
“We are working together with our host government in identifying the victims and seeing how best we can assist the bereaved families repatriate the bodies for burial.
“At the moment we have positively identified seven of the victims and four have since been taken to Zimbabwe for burial. South Africa’s Road Accident Fund has also offered to assist those families who would fail to meet the cost of repatriating their relatives for burial in Zimbabwe.
“We are very grateful that all stakeholders are assisting us during this time of our great loss. We will soon complete the identification of the remaining seven victims, but among them chances are high that they are Zimbabweans because of the travel documents found on them though their relatives are yet to come forward. We might have challenges though with two others who were undocumented,” said Mr Magwenzi.
He said Government shared the grief relatives of the victims were experiencing and urged drivers to be cautious on the roads.
Lois Trichardt police spokesman, Captain Maano Sadike said they had since preferred charges of culpable homicide against the driver, Joseph Ndlovu whom he said had been given free bail by the Makhadho magistrate court and was set to appear in court again on August 21.
The accident occurred at around 4.30am along the N1 highway near Witvlag turn off between Louis Trichardt and Musina towns. The Tans-Africa Lux bus was travelling from Bulawayo to Johannesburg in South Africa with 55 passengers on board including the bus crew.
Mashonaland West provincial police spokesperson Inspector Clemence Mabgweazara, yesterday said the province had been plunged into mourning following the two accidents. “It’s a sad day as we have lost lives in two separate road accidents, which occurred in the early hours of today (yesterday morning).
We are still carrying out investigations to establish the cause of both accidents,” he said.
A Toyota Dyna truck that had 25 people on board and believed to be going to a funeral in Mhondoro, veered off the road and overturned at around 5am near the 40km peg along the Chinhoyi-Chegutu Road.
The vehicle veered off the road before hitting a water drain and overturning.
Two people died on the spot while another one died on the way to Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital. The other 22 passengers were injured, 11 of them seriously. Those seriously injured are still admitted at Chinhoyi hospital, while the other 11 were treated and discharged.
In the second accident, a Toyota Regius commuter omnibus, which had 17 people on board burst a left rear tyre, rolled and landed on its side. Four people died on the spot while another one died at Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital.
Twelve others were injured.
Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital medical superintendent, Dr Collett Mawire, said those injured were in a serious but stable condition.
Online Reporter