By Dr Masimba Mavaza | ZIMBABWE IS BLEEDING. 30 PEOPLE ARE GONE. They did not die. They were killed. They … Continue reading "30 Souls Burnt Alive – President Declare State Of Disaster After Chivhu Horror"
By Dr Masimba Mavaza | ZIMBABWE IS BLEEDING. 30 PEOPLE ARE GONE.
They did not die. They were killed. They were burnt alive inside a kombi while coming from church.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has now declared a State of Disaster after the horrific inferno on the Harare-Masvingo Highway that has taken 30 lives. And the number may still rise.
It happened at 8:30pm on Friday, at the 15km peg from Chivhu, near Spruit Bridge in Chikomba District. Darkness. A narrow road. A heavy truck carrying mining equipment from South Africa. And a kombi full of members of the African Apostolic Church, travelling from Dema to Ndanga – from prayer to death.
Head-on collision. Then fire. A terrible fire that trapped people inside the kombi. They screamed. They could not get out.
27 died on the spot, burnt beyond recognition. Three more died later at Chivhu General Hospital, where they were fighting for life. Others are still in hospital, battling between life and death.
The kombi driver died at the scene. The truck driver survived and was taken to Harare.
For hours, the highway became a morgue. Small cranes were pulling bodies. A fire tender poured water on human flesh. Villagers from Chivhu stood and wept, helping to retrieve their own people with bare hands.
The bodies now lie at Chivhu General Hospital mortuary. Families are queuing to identify what is left of their loved ones.
The President’s declaration will unlock resources to help the bereaved. But no money can bring back 30 lives.
AND NOW, THE PAINFUL TRUTH WE MUST SAY
Mr President, we have a crisis that is bigger than bad roads. We have a crisis of *drivers who have no care for human life.*
*1. PUBLIC SERVICE DRIVERS – YOU CARRY SOULS, NOT SACKS OF MAIZE*
A kombi driver is not a racing driver. He carries mothers. He carries church elders. He carries children.
But what do we see?
Overloading – because they want $5 more. Speeding – because they want to make another trip. No rest – because they drive from 4am to 11pm, high on energy drinks, eyes red with fatigue.
That kombi on Friday was overloaded. Of course it was. They always are. When you overload a kombi, you kill its brakes. You kill its balance. When fire starts, no one can escape because people are packed like sardines.
Due care means: If the kombi is full, it is full. If you are tired, you stop. If your tyre is bald, you do not move. A life is not a dollar.
*2. HAULAGE TRUCK DRIVERS – STUBBORNNESS THAT KILLS*
We must say it without fear: Many of our haulage truck drivers have become murderers on our roads.
They drive as if the road belongs to their father. They encroach. They refuse to give way. They overtake on a blind rise, on a solid white line, on the Spruit Bridge where you cannot see oncoming traffic.
Why? Because their truck is big. Because they know a small kombi will be forced off the road.
This is not driving. This is arrogance. This is stubbornness that kills. The white line in the middle of the road is not decoration – it is a border between life and death. When you cross it, you enter the grave of another family.
The truck from South Africa that caused this – what was it doing in the lane of a kombi full of church people? Who will answer?
*3. WHERE IS THE FEAR OF GOD?*
These church people were from a prayer meeting. They were singing. They were innocent.
Public drivers must remember: Every passenger has a mother waiting at home. Every passenger is someone’s father.
You cannot drive a public vehicle when you are drunk. You cannot drive when you have not slept. You cannot drive 120km/h with 20 souls behind you.
The Government must act:
– Impound overloaded kombis BEFORE the accident.
– Jail truck drivers who encroach.
– Force all long-distance trucks to stop driving at night.
Today it is 30 members of the African Apostolic Church. Tomorrow it will be your family if we do not change.
*May the 30 rest in peace. May Zimbabwe wake up.*
> The names of the victims will be released after identification. Police investigations continue.
