Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
TWO people died while four were seriously injured in three separate accidents, one of them a hit-and-run, that occurred in Hwange and Victoria Falls over the weekend.
Matabeleland North police spokesperson Chief Inspector Siphiwe Makonese confirmed the accidents.
In the first incident, a friend of one of the victims spent a night on vigil guarding the body on the road in a wildlife infested bush.
Insp Makonese appealed for information that can lead to identification of the driver of a vehicle which ran over Mr Happiness Chalice (29) of Chinotimba in Victoria Falls on Saturday night.
Mr Chalice was walking home around midnight along the Victoria Falls-Airport road from Monde where he had gone for a beer drink with a friend Mr Masupa Ncube when he was allegedly hit by a vehicle whose driver did not stop.
Mr Chalice died on the spot with multiple fractures.
“At around 4pm the deceased went for a beer drink in Monde village in the company of his friend Mr Masupa Ncube. The two left around 11pm to go home and walked towards the main road. Mr Ncube remained at the bus stop looking for transport while the now deceased walked along the road towards town.
“Mr Ncube had not found transport around midnight and decided to also walk home. He found his friend’s lifeless body in the middle of the road just after the grid and guarded it until morning when he advised the deceased brother who made a report,” said Chief Insp Makonese.
Police attended the scene and discovered that the body had sustained multiple fractures on both arms, skull, and left pelvis.
The suspect faces charges of culpable homicide and failing to stop after a fatal accident.
“The suspected driver is not known and investigations are in progress as we also appeal for anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of the suspect,” said Chief Insp Makonese.
With regards to the second accident, Chief Insp Makonese identified the deceased as Pray Chuchu (38) of Number 5 in Hwange.
She said Mr Chuchu was a passenger sitting in the loading box of a Mazda pick-up driven by Mr Alphas Dube (35) of Lwendulu when the accident occurred around 8pm on Sunday near Summit along Deka road which connects Hwange town to Msuna on the Zambezi River.
Chief Insp Makonese said Mr Chuchu died on the spot when the vehicle veered off the road and overturned before landing on him after its tyre burst.
Mr Chuchu was allegedly thrown off the moving vehicle which landed on him in a ditch causing his instant death.
The deceased’s father Mr Joseph Chuchu said his son was coming from Msuna where he had gone to buy fish.
The driver sustained injuries on both legs while two passengers Ms Doreen Mwanza (27) and Ms Samantha Banda (35) sustained head injuries and laceration on the right leg respectively.
The trio was admitted to St Patricks’ Hospital.
The third accident occurred near Hwange long distance bus rank on Saturday afternoon where Mr Lezaulaswe Mudimba (22) of Empumalanga who was driving a Nissan X-Trail lost control of the vehicle after hitting a hump resulting in the vehicle overturning and landing on its right side.
Mr Mudimba who was alone suffered internal injuries and was rushed to Hwange Colliery Hospital where his condition was said to be serious.
Online Reporter