Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
TWO people collapsed and died at Beitbridge Border Post between Friday and Saturday as they went through border formalities.
According to the police, a South African trucker, who was travelling from the DRC, collapsed as he was about to leave Zimbabwe for his motherland on Saturday at around 4pm. The police officer commanding Beitbridge district Chief Superintendent Mesuli Ncube said they were engaging the man’s next of kin.
“The matter is being treated as sudden death and the body has been taken to a local mortuary. On the fateful day, he arrived at the border from Harare driving a South African-registered truck that was loaded with peas,” said Chief Supt Ncube.
“He was in the process of doing border formalities when he suddenly collapsed upon returning to his truck from passport stamping and passed on at the South Bound Truck export yard, Beitbridge.
Indications are that he had complained in the work WhatsApp chat group on the previous day (Friday) that he wasn’t well. He said the second incident occurred on Friday when a 48-year-old man from Murehwa passed on at Container Depot, South Bound Freight Terminal, Beitbridge Border Post after battling diabetes.
The man was travelling from South Africa to Harare on board a Best Express Logistics Bus and was travelling along with his son aged 21 years.
They had boarded the bus in Pretoria on Thursday and were en-route to Murehwa. “The now deceased, who had been battling diabetes was visibly ill, with his legs swollen when they boarded the bus,” said Chief Supt Ncube.
“On Friday at around 5am, the bus was intercepted at a security checkpoint at Chicago area along the road leading to Masvingo, by members of National Anti-Smuggling Task Force for under-declaration of goods and was escorted back to the border for duty re-assessment.”
He said while authorities were carrying out customs formalities, the now deceased’s son noted that his father was no longer showing signs of life around 10am and he informed the driver.
Port health officials were then called to the scene with the police and they took the body to Beitbridge district mortuary for further management.
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