Gweru bus crush survivor speaks as death toll reaches 10

WHEN Ms Cecilia Musaroyana heard passengers screaming and felt her legs trapped beneath twisted metal, she thought her life was over.

The 42-year-old mother of five from Woodlands suburb in Gweru had boarded a Trip Trans bus expecting nothing more than an ordinary journey home. Instead, she found herself fighting for survival following a horrific road accident that claimed 10 lives and left dozens injured.

Now recovering in a hospital bed at Gweru Provincial Hospital, Ms Musaroyana says she is still struggling to comprehend how she survived.
“I thought I was going to die. The pain was unbearable, and I could not move my legs. People were screaming all around me and there was confusion everywhere. I keep asking myself why I survived when so many others did not. I believe God spared me for a reason.”
Ms Musaroyana was travelling from Binga, where she had gone to buy fish for resale, when tragedy struck.
She said the journey had been plagued by mechanical problems from the outset.
“On that particular day, I was coming from Binga to buy fish for resale. I first boarded a vehicle that kept breaking down and later boarded the bus, which was also experiencing continuous breakdowns. At some point, I even considered getting off and looking for alternative transport. Looking back now, it feels as if something was warning us that all was not well,” she said.
The bus, carrying more than 35 passengers, was later involved in a devastating crash that left 10 people dead and several others seriously injured.
Ms Musaroyana was among six critically injured passengers who were transferred from Gokwe to Gweru Provincial Hospital for specialist treatment.
She remembers little about the crash itself, aside from the moments that followed.
“All I remember is being trapped inside the wreckage. My legs would not move and I was in severe pain. Then some passengers and Good Samaritans came to help. They pulled me from the wreckage and saved my life,” she said.
At Gweru Provincial Hospital, doctors have been working to save the lives of the injured.
Medical Superintendent Dr Fabian Mashingaidze said the hospital received six critically injured patients from Gokwe.
“Unfortunately, two patients died upon arrival. The remaining four sustained severe lower limb fractures involving the tibia and fibula. One of the patients required a blood transfusion before undergoing surgery. We have since performed internal fixation procedures and the patients are now fairly stable, although they remain under close observation,” he said.
Dr Mashingaidze said recovery would be prolonged for some of the survivors. “These are serious injuries that require surgery and extensive physiotherapy. Some patients will need several months before they can fully recover,” he said.
For Ms Musaroyana, however, the emotional scars may take even longer to heal. Each day in her hospital ward serves as a stark reminder that many fellow passengers never made it home to their loved ones.
“It is painful knowing that people I was travelling with lost their lives. Some families have lost breadwinners, parents and children. We were all on the same journey and everything changed in a moment,” she said.
The tragedy has once again brought the issue of road safety into sharp focus, prompting President Mnangagwa to issue a directive mandating all Government departments and agencies to urgently implement sweeping measures to curb reckless and irresponsible road user behaviour and ensure the removal of unroadworthy vehicles from the country’s roads.
Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Owen Ncube visited the injured survivors at Gweru Provincial Hospital and conveyed Government condolences to the bereaved families.
He assured victims that Government would continue to support those affected by the accident.
“Last week, we recorded two accidents in the Midlands with six lives lost along the Harare-Bulawayo Road. On behalf of Government, I express my deepest condolences and urge motorists to exercise extreme caution on our roads,” said Minister Ncube.