A tragic accident occurred on Sunday morning when an Inter Africa bus traveling from Harare to Bulawayo crashed into a stationary haulage truck near Dabuka Shuttling Yard along the Harare-Bulawayo Highway.
Seven people lost their lives, and 22 others were injured, with 12 of them being treated and discharged from Gweru Provincial Hospital. Among the survivors, Ms. Sibonokuhle Nkomo, a 36-year-old mother from Pumula South, Bulawayo, faces an uncertain future after the crash resulted in the amputation of her left leg.
Ms. Nkomo had been traveling to Bulawayo after a shopping trip to Harare to buy Christmas clothes for her children and stock for her Filabusi-based shop. The morning of the tragedy began with high hopes for a festive family celebration, but the crash upended her plans and changed her life forever.
Speaking from her hospital bed, Ms. Nkomo explained that she had boarded the bus late on Saturday night, around 10 p.m., with her mind set on bringing joy to her family. She recalled feeling excited after purchasing clothes for her children and business but falling asleep during the journey.
“I was asleep when I heard screams from my fellow passengers. I woke up to the sound of impact,” she said. The bus was reportedly speeding, and the collision with the haulage truck occurred on the side where Ms. Nkomo was seated.
Initially, Ms. Nkomo did not feel the pain of the injury to her leg, but once she was removed from the bus, she realized she couldn’t stand. At the hospital, she was informed that her left leg was beyond saving and would need to be amputated.
“How am I going to work in my shop now, where I need to travel and stand?” she said tearfully. Her dreams of making her children happy this Christmas have been replaced by a painful and uncertain road to recovery.
Another survivor, Ms. Charity Mhike, 29, from Rangemore suburb in Bulawayo, shared her gratitude for surviving the accident with her four children. The family had been visiting Ms. Mhike’s mother in Harare before the crash occurred on their way back to Bulawayo.
Ms. Mhike had paid for a double seat for her children, and when the opportunity arose, she moved her children to a vacant seat, which was on the driver’s side of the bus and ultimately spared them from the worst of the impact.
While Ms. Mhike suffered a fractured leg, her children, aged 11, five, and five months, were unharmed. “I thank the Lord for giving me the wisdom to move my children,” she said.
However, the crash’s impact left other passengers seriously injured, with many suffering fractured limbs, primarily due to the cramped conditions aboard the bus. Mr. Pingurai Marozva, from Bulawayo, sustained a leg fracture after being jolted awake by the loud bang of the collision.
He described the bus as cramped, with little room for passengers to move their legs, which likely contributed to the severity of the injuries. Mr. Joze Sanana, another survivor from Magwegwe North, echoed this concern, stating that the cramped seating arrangement worsened the injuries.
The accident resulted in the deaths of seven individuals, whose bodies were taken to the Gweru Provincial Hospital mortuary. Police confirmed the tragic event, with National Police Spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi stating that the bus had collided with a stationary truck, leading to the fatalities. The investigation is ongoing, and the accident has prompted further discussion about the safety standards on public transport.
As for the survivors, they are left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. For Ms. Nkomo, the pain of losing her leg is compounded by the loss of her hopes for a joyful Christmas.
With her shop in Filabusi requiring travel and standing for long hours, she faces an uncertain future. “All I wanted was to make my children happy,” she said, reflecting on the holiday that was meant to be full of joy but instead has become a reminder of the fragility of life.
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