2023’s Top 5 Bus Killers…Inter Africa, CAG Tops The List Tops The List!
Harare | Zimbabweans will always remember 2023 as a year marked by extreme sadness for a large number of families all throughout the country.
On the nation’s roadways, tragic bus accidents claimed lives and severed limbs, leaving a path of grief and dashed hopes.
In light of this, ZimEye investigates the top five bus firms that have caused the most number of injuries and fatalities this year.
1. The Mukumba Brothers/Inter Africa:
The bleak statistics mostly pertain to Inter Africa/Mukumba Brothers. Reports of their incidents revealed that speeding, driver weariness, and poor vehicle maintenance were common themes.
In *July, a Mukumba Brothers bus collided with a haulage truck near Chegutu, claiming 12 lives and injuring 27. Just *two months later, another horrific crash involving one of their buses near Kwekwe took 10 lives and left 35 passengers wounded.
These incidents, alongside several others throughout the year, solidified Inter Africa/Mukumba Brothers’ place at the forefront of this year’s bus tragedy.
2. CAG:
Close behind comes CAG, whose buses were implicated in several devastating accidents throughout 2023.
In *February, a CAG bus overturned near Kadoma, leaving 8 passengers dead and 20 injured. The cause of the accident was attributed to a burst tire, raising concerns about the company’s vehicle maintenance practices. A month later, *another CAG bus collided with a haulage truck near Gweru, resulting in 7 fatalities and 15 injuries. These and other incidents solidified CAG’s position among the top contributors to Zimbabwe’s road carnage in 2023.
3. Rimbi Tours:
Not far behind, Rimbi Tours’ buses were implicated in many deadly collisions this year.
Six people died and eighteen were injured when a Rimbi Tours bus crashed in the Mutare area in *April. It was reported that the driver had dozed off while operating the vehicle.Another Rimbi Tours bus flipped in June close to Masvingo, injuring twelve people and killing five.
These and other occurrences highlight the necessity for the corporation to have stronger safety protocols and driver supervision.
Rimbi Tours’ operating licence was suspended together with Zebra Kiss because one of its drivers carelessly caused a deadly accident while racing while carrying customers.
4. Zebra Kiss:
Despite its eye-catching logo and elegant buses, Zebra Kiss is under investigation following many incidents that hampered its 2023.
Ten people were hurt and four people died when a commuter omnibus and a Zebra Kiss bus crashed in *May, close to Harare.Another Zebra Kiss bus flipped in August on the Beitbridge-Bulawayo route, leaving three people dead and eight injured.
Even if these incidents don’t seem to happen as frequently as those of the front-runners, they still raise questions about the company’s operational safety procedures.
5. Stallion Cruise:
Completing the list, Stallion Cruise’s buses were a part of many collisions in the previous year.
*In March, a private vehicle and a Stallion Cruise bus crashed close to Chinhoyi, resulting in three fatalities and nine injuries.
Another Stallion Cruise bus disaster in Bulawayo occurred in October, resulting in two fatalities and five injuries. These occurrences demonstrate the need for higher safety standards throughout the company’s fleet, even when the numbers involved may seem lesser than other entries.
6.Trip Trans
Even if it didn’t rank in the top five, Trip Trans is still worthy of recognition because it also documented a good number of incidents, one of which took the life of late socialite Genius Kadungure’s sister Julie as she was going from Malawi. Nine more persons lost their lives in the accident.
A different Trip Trans bus caught fire five days prior, just after Makuti, but luckily no injuries were reported.
An newborn lost his life in an accident earlier in February when a different Trip Trans bus headed from Chimanimani to Mutare participated. Sixteen people were hurt.
An Appeal for Modifications:
The sombre figures for 2023 present an unsettling image of Zimbabwe’s bus sector. The industry as a whole need a significant transformation; it’s not just about these five businesses. To prevent more fatalities, strict safety laws, intense driver education, and routine car inspections are essential.
Let 2023 serve as a sobering reminder as we grieve the people lost and struggle with the lingering effects of these tragedies. Demanding better, enacting change, and making sure that our roadways become arteries of life rather than grief conduits are all necessary.
Source | Zimeye
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