FOUR people died while 11 others were seriously injured when a commuter omnibus and a Honda Fit they were travelling in collided head-on at the 44km peg along the Harare-Beitbridge Highway on Sunday evening, police said.
BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA
Three people died on the spot, while another passenger died upon admission at Chitungwiza Central Hospital, police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed yesterday.
“Circumstances are that a Honda Fit with three passengers on board was travelling towards Harare, while the Toyota Hiace with 10 passengers on board was travelling towards Masvingo. On approaching a curve at the 44km peg along the said road, the driver of the Toyota Hiace tried to overtake in front of the oncoming Honda Fit, resulting in a head-on collision,” she said in a statement.
Charamba said all the bodies of the deceased were at Chitungwiza Central Hospital awaiting a post-mortem.
Meanwhile, the Passengers Association of Zimbabwe (PAZ) is urging schools that do not own buses to hire roadworthy vehicles to avoid road deaths as pupils return to schools.
“Many students will be travelling to boarding schools as schools open. Some schools have their own buses, while others do not. We are encouraging boarding schools that do not own buses to hire roadworthy buses that have passenger liability cover,” PAZ said in a statement.
“We are calling upon all boarding and day schools to insure their buses. Passenger liability cover is a necessity. In the event of an accident, students and staff will be assured of compensation. According to our observation, there are many school buses that do not have passenger liability cover.”
