9 perish in road traffic accident after car hits cow, crashes into oncoming vehicle 

POLICE have confirmed the tragic death of nine people in a road traffic accident that occurred along the Harare-Shamva road Friday night.

The crash reportedly happened at around 1900 hours, at the 88-kilometre peg.

Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has issued a statement confirming the tragedy involving an overloaded Toyota Sienta carrying 13 passengers and a Toyota Land Cruiser with three passengers on board.

The Sienta, travelling towards Shamva, struck a cow on the road and subsequently veered into the oncoming lane, where it collided head-on with the Land Cruiser.

“Eight passengers died on the spot while the other passenger died upon admission at Shamva Hospital,” ZRP national spokesperson, Commissioner Paul Nyathi said.

Eight people were injured and are currently receiving treatment at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, Bindura Hospital, and Shamva Hospital.

The police have urged drivers to exercise extreme caution on the roads.

“Above all, drivers should prioritise road safety and observe all road rules and regulations in order to curb road accidents,” said Nyathi.

The ZRP appealed to motorists and other road users to adhere to traffic regulations to avoid fatalities and injuries on the country’s roads.

“The ZRP implores motorists to exercise extreme caution when travelling on the country’s roads. Above all, drivers should prioritise road safety and observe all road rules and regulations inorder to curb road accidents,” Nyathi added.

During the off-season, communal farmers let their livestock roam freely without the need to pen them, thereby heightening the risks of drivers encountering stray cattle, donkeys, goats and other domestic livestock.

A survivor, Rachel Havatye (36), appealed to the government to erect perimeter fences along the highways and other busy roads to keep animals off the roads.

“This time of the year, when cattle and other livestock are left to roam freely, is particularly dangerous for drivers during the night. Zimbabwe needs to consider putting fences along all major roads to ensure animals don’t jaywalk onto the roads and cause such accidents,” Havatye said, adding the Sienta was overloaded.

Community leader, Valentine Zinhumwe, who visited bereaved families at the weekend, thanked the government for declaring the tragedy a national disaster, but urged authorities to also fix roads.

“By the same token, we urge the government to declare our roads a national disaster so that urgent attention might be given to address this national crisis, with the holidays looming one can only wonder,” Zinhumwe said.

Road traffic accidents in Zimbabwe are mostly caused by human error and reportedly occur every 15 minutes, with at least 150 people dying monthly.

Authorities attribute the unabating number of accidents to lax driver training, inadequate licensing procedures and lack of enforcement due to corruption.