Sikhumbuzo Moyo [email protected]
TWO motorists died on the spot in a head-on collision involving a Toyota Altezza and a Toyota Hiace kombi along the Bulawayo-Gwanda Road yesterday, with one of the deceased believed to be a traffic police officer stationed in Gwanda.
The accident occurred at the 63-kilometre peg, shortly before Mbalabala Business Centre, with preliminary information suggesting that the driver of the Toyota Altezza which had no passengers, attempted to overtake a line of vehicles.
The kombi was travelling towards Gwanda with three people on board, the driver, his wife and their daughter.
Matabeleland South acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Stanford Mguni could not immediately provide details of the accident, saying he had not yet received a report.
Bulawayo chief fire officer Mr Mhlangano Moyo confirmed that one person was burnt beyond recognition.
“We did not attend the scene as it was attended to by our Esigodini counterparts. However, what I can confirm is that one person was burnt beyond recognition,” he said.
When a Zimpapers news crew arrived at the scene, police officers and members of the Esigodini Fire Brigade were still working to gain access to the wreckage.
The kombi, which was carrying mining equipment, groceries, plates and pots, was extensively damaged while the Altezza was reduced to a shell.
Officials at the scene said the injured mother and her daughter were rushed to Esigodini Hospital.
The latest crash has renewed concerns about road safety along the Bulawayo-Gwanda Road, which has recorded several fatal accidents over the years.
Among previous tragedies was an accident involving a Quantum vehicle that exploded, killing all its occupants. In another incident, Highlanders Football Club supporters died in a crash at a bridge a few kilometres from yesterday’s accident scene.
In 2017, a haulage truck collided with a kombi shortly after Chipangali, killing 14 passengers. The truck driver survived.
