Cop knocked down at roadblock

The incident, which was confirmed by national police spokesperson Superintendent Andrew Phiri, happened on Tuesday at around 4am.

He said the name of the now deceased was being withheld until his next of kin have been notified.

“I can confirm that we have received a report of a fatal road traffic accident which happened today (Tuesday) at dawn opposite Kalahari shop in Mwenezi District,” said Supt Phiri.

He said the bus was heading towards Beitbridge when upon reaching a roadblock it knocked down the barrier.

“Police details from Mwenezi were manning a roadblock when a bus belonging to Mega-Links Company and driven by Patrick Mufudza allegedly failed to stop at the 77km peg. The driver failed to stop as per the instruction and subsequently hit one roadblock barrier resulting in a policeman being struck. The officers waved him to stop, but he failed to stop. The officer sustained serious injuries from the accident and was taken to hospital. The driver of the bus is assisting police with investigations,” he said.

He said the injured officer was rushed to Neshuro Hospital where he was transferred to Masvingo General Hospital.

“He was taken to Neshuro Hospital, but his condition deteriorated and he was taken to Masvingo General Hospital where he died on admission. His body was taken to the mortuary for postmortem,” he said.

Supt Phiri warned motorists against ignoring roadblock signs adding that they should stop until they are told to proceed by police details manning roadblocks.

“We urge all motorists to respect a ‘Police Ahead’ sign and not wait until they are waved down. The sign is a warning of a roadblock ahead and motorists should not ignore it. You can only proceed after you are told to do so by the police manning the roadblock,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, one person died on the spot when the driver of a Nissan X-Trail she was travelling in lost control resulting in the vehicle veering off the road before overturning and rolling thrice at the 47km peg along Masvingo-Beitbridge Road, police reported yesterday.

Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Peter Zhanero said the accident happened on Sunday at about 4pm. He identified the deceased as Rumbidzai Magwenya (34), of Westlea, Harare. He said on the fateful day the vehicle driven by Mr Alfred Chimbodza (48), of the same address, was travelling towards Beitbridge with one passenger on board.

“Upon approaching the 47km peg, Mr Chimbodza failed to negotiate a curve and lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle veered off the road resulting in it overturning and rolling thrice before landing on its roof. The driver of the vehicle escaped with minor injuries while the passenger died on the spot,” he said.

Insp Zhanero said the body of the deceased was taken to Masvingo General Hospital mortuary for postmortem while the driver was rushed to the same hospital where he was treated and discharged.