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black spots found in the backyard of Makuti along the Harare-Chirundu highway, could soon be a thing of the past if collaborated effort between the Government and the Makuti community is to go by.
The terrible spot which over the years has been witnessed horrific accidents involving mostly haulage trucks and buses along one of Sadc trade corridors, that has seen scores of travellers callously burnt to death after their vehicles rolled down slope catching fire in the process.
In many cases the deaths have also been triggered by lack of fire tenders in the area to manage the disasters.
A lack ambulances has also been cited for the delays in ferrying the badly injured to Karoi or Kariba hospitals both over 70km away resulting in increased deaths.
Although good Samaritans arriving at the scenes of the accidents have always provided help, shortage of equipment has often seen them watch as bodies are reduced to ashes or die in wrecks.
The troublesome stretch lies between the 301-303km peg and is about 10 kilometres from Makuti – a settlement presently home to over 600 people.
They have made representation to Government and now they have been heard. Transport, Communications and Infrastructural Development Minister Nicholas Goche last month commissioned a clinic and handed over an ambulance to be stationed in the area to Kariba District Traffic Consultative Committee.
Handing over the clinic and the ambulance, Cde Goche said Makuti Clinic would serve not only the people of Zimbabwe but tourist and people travelling to and from other Sadc countries like Zambia, Tanzania and the DRC and some who will be touring the Comesa Region.
Cde Goche said that his ministry would continue to enforce measures that help to reduce road accidents such as road safety campaigns, widening roads, replacing and upgrading old infrastructure, replacing road signs and putting up carriageway markings and introducing stiffer penalties for road offenses.
Dr Timothy Stamps, who is the Health Adviser in the Office of the President and Traffic Safety ambassadors Mai Olivia Charamba and David Mandigora also witnessed the event among other high-ranking officials.
The people of Makuti are elated, they have been heard and that will ensure victims of crashes in the area can get help in the shortest possible time.
Makuti Village head Mr Joseph Nyaguwa said people of Makuti were in a celebratory mood following the commissioning of Makuti Clinic and the handover of an ambulance.
“That is all that what we wanted. We are happy that our cries have been heard. We hope the ambulance will be put to good use while the clinic will not only render help to local people but also provide quick responses to injured,” he said.
Mr Nyaguwa thanked the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe which falls under Minister Goche’s ministry for donating the ambulance and refurbishing a disused house into a clinic at Makuti Centre.
The Tsetse Control Unit provided the house that was refurbished into a clinic.
“The clinic and the ambulance were now making it possible for accident victims at Wafa-Wafa to quickly access medical attention unlike previously when the injured had to be taken to Karoi and Kariba Hospitals both over 70km away.
“Prior to the recent donations TSCZ also donated a Mazda BT50 truck to the Police Traffic Section at Makuti particularly in light of the high rate of accidents around Makuti,” he said.
It is worth the celebration because the community had waited since the mid-90s for the clinic.
“The request for a clinic was approved way back in 1997 when Dr Timothy Stamps was then Minister of Health and Child Welfare.
I was then Makuti Development Committee chairperson when we presented the request to Dr Stamps who was touched by our plight and particularly by reports of the carnage on the road stretch.
“We highlighted to him that the high accident rate translated to a high number of people injured who urgently needed medical attention or else precious life would continue to be lost.
“Also strong in our favour was the fact that Makuti being in the game area, it was dangerous for people to travel to the nearest Nyamakate Clinic about 30km away.
Over the years the project failed to take off due to lack of funding until TSCZ came to our rescue recently,” he added.
Another resident of the area, Mrs Tamare Chinyika, said the both clinic and ambulance is expected to come in handy for pregnant women in the malaria-prone area had to endure travelling to Karoi or Kariba for medical attention.
“It has been paining to lose our sisters due to pregnancy and hope this will be a thing of the past. With this ambulance pregnancy complications can now be taken to better and bigger hospitals for proper medical attention.
“For your information both the clinic and the ambulance are serving not only Zimbabwean nationals but foreigners as well among them those from the entire Southern African region since the Harare-Chirundu highway is used by traffic travelling in the Sadc and Comesa.
“The bulk of the traffic on the road is ferrying goods to Zambia and countries in the north and east Africa,” she said.
Analysts, however, say the battle against Wafa-Wafa could only be won if the Harare-Chirundu is dualised.
“This is just a stop gap measure that will only reduce deaths on the notorious stretch. The war against Wafa-Wafa can completely be won by dualising the highway particularly the widening the notorious stretch to allow enough space for drivers to negotiate the area safely,” one analyst said.
Hurungwe North constituency legislator Cde Peter Chanetsa under whose area Makuti falls said most accidents that caused deaths at Wafa-Wafa were as a result of fires a case which he said demanded the urgent availability of the fire brigade.
“Most of our people are dying after their vehicles catch fire or roll down slope after failing to negotiate curves. It is important that we have the fire brigade stationed in the area for quicker response,” he said.
Even the traditional leadership is looking at ways of making sure the carnage in the area is reduced.
Chiefs in Hurungwe are organising a traditional ceremony to cleanse Wafa-Wafa due to claims that most accidents occur while drivers would be trying to avoid running ghost in the middle of the roads.
Chiefs Chundu, Chief Dandawa, Mudzimu and Dendera are organising a cleansing ceremony of the area that is widely believed to be haunted since most of the accidents occur during the night.
Last year members of Johanne Masowe Church had a serious session of prayer at the black spot.
They claimed they were exorcising the place of evil spirits that were causing the deaths.
Between January and April this year 48 accidents occurred at Wafa-Wafa causing 56 injuries while 73 accidents which caused 53 injuries occurred during the same period last year.
More than eight deaths have so far been recorded at Wafa-Wafa this year.
Online Reporter