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Flora Fadzai Sibanda, Chronicle Reporter
MR Martin Nyakadumba (32) from Mzilikazi suburb, Bulawayo was involved in a road accident that killed his mother and left him wheelchair-bound in 2019.
He said his car was hit head-on by another which went through a red robot and was speeding.
Mr Nyakadumba said he still remembers his mother’s cry like it was yesterday as she screamed watching the speeding car coming straight for them.
He said he collapsed as the car hit them and does not remember what happened afterwards.
“I woke up in the hospital the following day. For a few hours I was confused as to what had happened. When I remembered I was told my mother was at home recovering as they were scared of telling me at the time, fearing that would deteriorate the situation,” said Mr Nyakadumba.
He said he only found out his mother had passed on the day of the burial when the family took him there.
Mr Nyakadumba said the pain of discovering that he could no longer walk and finding out that his mother was dead hit him in a bad way.
He said after the burial he became suicidal as being supported by his wife both physically and financially depressed him.
“Because of the accident I am now wheelchair-bound. My wife is now the sole provider at home. Of course, she has never complained about taking care of me but as a man it sometimes gets to me,” said Mr Nyakadumba.
Mr Sandile Moyo was also lucky to survive an accident along Victoria Falls Road during the festive season two years back. He said he was with his nine friends and four of them died on the spot while three others died at hospital. Mr Moyo said he wishes they had been wiser and taken caution on that day. Part of his left hand is hurt and as a result he left his job as a mechanic as he could no longer continue working.
“We were very drunk that day and the driver failed to control the car. I wish we had camped somewhere for the night instead of driving while drunk. As it is, my left hand is not working properly. I was hurt during the accident so it is now a recurring problem that has made me quit my job,” said Mr Moyo.
He said he is now a gardener at Southwold suburb but he sometimes faces challenges with his hand as it becomes painful and the pain affects his leg too.
Mr Kelvin Banda said he was involved in an accident that almost claimed his life while on his way to Victoria Falls in 2019.
He said the kombi driver who seemed to be drunk was speeding and did not want to listen to anyone who was reprimanding him.
Mr Banda said as the driver was still speeding, he failed to control his car and when he realised that it was about to overturn, he opened his door and ran away.
“The car rolled more than four times with people screaming and crying. When the car stopped on the side of the road, I realised that my leg was numb and could not move. After being admitted at a public hospital for 10 days my family moved me to a private hospital where I was operated and the doctors put nails and metals on my leg as it had been broken,” he said.
Four people died on the spot.
“Since that time I do not use an omnibus whenever I am travelling. I would rather drive myself or board a bus,” he said.
Ms Zandile Sithole was involved in a hit and run situation in 2017 in South Africa.
She said she was coming from work when a car hit her as she was passing through a zebra crossing.
Ms Sithole said because of the accident she had to be operated on her head so that she could survive.
“Nobody had faith that I would survive because the operation I had was very fragile and needed extreme care. After the operation I was told I could no longer work as I should not stress. I was advised that should I stress I might end up losing my life. It is really saddening to know that my life ended just like that because I cannot even work for my children at the moment. The only thing that I am praying for is that I never lose my mind because that would give my family a lot of work,” she said.
These four are some of the few lucky people who, after getting involved in accidents, are able to tell their tales even though they are all left scarred for life.
While speaking at the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in Bulawayo recently, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona revealed that 1 559 people were killed in the country from January to September this year while 7 851 were injured in road-related accidents during the same period.
From the latest statistics it is clear that the road is no longer safe for many as people who are lucky enough to survive the accidents are left scarred for life.
The recent statistics translate to a traffic collision after every 15 minutes where an average of 45 people are injured per day with Friday nights, Saturdays and festive seasons being the worst.
The most worrying of all was that public transport accounted for almost 50 percent of the accidents. — @flora_sibanda
Online Reporter