Online Reporter
Obey Sibanda, Online Reporter
Fear. Hunger. Exhaustion. These were the emotions etched on the faces of passengers who arrived in Bulawayo on Thursday evening after surviving a terrifying 30-hour ordeal aboard a Delta bus that was attacked by armed robbers in South Africa on Wednesday night.
What began as a routine trip home from the neighbouring country turned into a nightmare when the bus was ambushed around 9:30pm. Two passengers lost their lives in the crossfire, while the rest were left shaken, robbed of their money, phones, and personal belongings. Stripped of the means to contact loved ones or buy food, they were forced to endure the long, painful hours that followed – without a sip of water or a morsel of food.
When the survivors finally reached Bulawayo on Thursday evening, the mood at Delta’s offices was one of heartbreak and fatigue. Men, women, and children sat silently on benches, their faces pale and weary. Some leaned on their luggage for support, while children clung to their mothers, hungry, thirsty, and desperate for warmth and rest.
“We hoped they would give us at least some water. We had lost everything. Our money, our phones, even our dignity. The journey back felt endless,” said one woman.
Another passenger, an elderly woman battling diabetes, expressed fear that the long hours without food could have worsened her condition.
“I just needed a little something to eat. But there was nothing. I don’t even know how I made it through.”
Passengers said despite their evident distress, the bus crew appeared indifferent. Many felt abandoned, expecting at least a gesture of compassion upon arrival.
“When we got to Bulawayo, we thought maybe there would be some hot food waiting for us, even just a drink. But nothing. It broke our hearts,” another survivor said.
As night fell, concerned relatives trickled in, offering what little they could: food, bottles of water, and comforting words. The silence of the exhausted crowd spoke volumes about the trauma they had endured.
On their part, Delta Bus Service arranged transport to ferry the passengers safely to their homes. But for many, the scars of that long, cold journey, will take far longer to heal.
