Online Reporter
Sharon Jiyamwa and Sekai Manyere Zimpapers Writers
THE painful task of burying the 27 members of the African Apostolic Church killed in Friday night’s horrific road accident began yesterday, as grieving relatives, friends and fellow congregants gathered at Zororo Cemetery to bid farewell to Christine Nyakudziranga.
For those gathered at her graveside, the burial marked the beginning of a sombre journey for a church still struggling to comprehend the magnitude of a tragedy that wiped out mothers, children and young people in a single night.
Nyakudziranga was among members of the African Apostolic Church who died when a commuter omnibus collided with a haulage truck along the Harare-Masvingo Highway.
As mourners gathered around her graveside, the pain of the loss was palpable, with the burial bringing home the reality that the lives of people who had been central to their families and church community had been abruptly cut short.
For the Dema Assembly, the tragedy has been particularly devastating, with a large number of its members among those who perished.
Reverend Latson Zvinowanda said the church was still grappling with the scale of the loss.
“We lost many people. We do not have an exact figure yet. Those who passed away were the mothers who were dedicated to the church and the youth group that we were hoping would carry on the church.
“Many of them died right there,” he said.
For Nyakudziranga’s family, yesterday’s burial was the painful conclusion to a journey that had begun with the devastating news of the accident and ended with her being lowered into the ground.
Rev Zvinowanda described her as a committed believer who rarely missed church services and devoted herself to the work of God.
“She was strong, loving, loved by people, did God’s work and led the Women’s Guild,” he said.
“She was a person who had no quarrel with anyone, a person who owed no debt to anyone, a person who simply loved to worship,” said Rev Zvinowanda.
The tragedy has left several families facing unbearable losses.
Among the bereaved is Evangelist Mahiya, who lost his wife and five children in the accident.
Another congregant, Nyori Bonda, also lost his wife and children, although the exact number of his children who died could not immediately be established.
For Rev Zvinowanda, the magnitude of the loss could only be understood through faith.
“If you have a mango tree at your home and you decide to cut it down, no one can stop you or ask why you are cutting it down since it belongs to you. In this case, we say it is God who has taken them. We do not have an argument with Him,” he said.
He acknowledged the deep pain gripping the church but said faith remained a source of comfort for the bereaved.
The agony of the tragedy was compounded for some families by the difficult process of identifying their loved ones.
Ignatius Dzepatsva recounted the distressing search for his mother after the accident, which took his family across several towns before they eventually found her remains at Chivhu General Hospital mortuary.
The overcrowded mortuary presented another painful ordeal for the family.
“Some of the bodies were severely disfigured. But fortunately for us, we found our mother right near the entrance because the mortuary was full.
“Her legs were severed and missing. We eventually found her limbs and started processing the paperwork to transport her,” he said.
The accident left rescuers and families facing a devastating scene after the kombi caught fire following the collision.
According to eyewitnesses, the haulage truck allegedly swerved from its lane and collided head-on with the kombi.
The impact caused the commuter omnibus to catch fire, with the flames rapidly consuming the vehicle.
Relatives suspect that a gas cylinder being carried by one of the passengers may have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
President Mnangagwa has since declared the accident a State of Disaster, with Government providing assistance to the affected families.
Dzepatsva said his family had opted to use its existing funeral policy, with Government expected to compensate them.
“Since we had a Nyaradzo policy, we were given options and we chose to proceed with Nyaradzo, but the Government will compensate us since we used our own funeral policy,” he said.
Yesterday’s burial was therefore more than a farewell to Nyakudziranga.
It was the beginning of a painful process in which the African Apostolic Church will bury members who were mothers, parents, children, friends and pillars of their congregations.
As Nyakudziranga was laid to rest, the enormity of the tragedy was brought into sharp focus — and for the families preparing for the burials still to come, the hardest moments are yet to pass.
