Zimbabwean brothers escape deadly plunge in SA

SOUTH AFRICA – Two Zimbabwean brothers escaped death when the car they were travelling in slid down a cliff near Mariannhill on Monday after its brakes apparently failed.

But the driver, also a Zimbabwean, died instantly from his injuries after his VW Golf left the road and landed on a railway line, narrowly missing overhead high voltage electric wires.

The incident was one of several accidents across KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend that left at least eight people dead.

Theology Madzivire, 28, of Masvingo in Zimbabwe, said he and his brother, Phillip, 29, had survived the crash in Oaklands near Mariannhill on Monday after being thrown out of the car as it rolled down the cliff.

The driver, Most Muneri, 29, had complained about faulty brakes before he lost control of his car, he said.

Madzivire said he had been sitting next to Muneri.

Phillip, who was in the back seat, suffered neck and spine injuries and was taken to RK Khan Hospital.

Madzivire told the Daily News they were lucky to be alive.

“I cannot really say what happened. I am still confused but I feel the pain on my left arm and spine after hurting the backbone. I had to push my brother out of the way and shouted for help,” he said.

“But unfortunately, the driver had died instantly after suffering head injuries.”

He said they were all from Zimbabwe and were staying in Mayville. They were fortunate there had been no trains running where the car landed, he said.

“We could also have been electrocuted by the wires.”

The dead man’s younger brother, Millicent Muneri, 24, arrived by taxi from Pietermaritzburg after receiving news of the tragedy.

“It is unbelievable that I will never see him again. I was planning to visit him at his place. The family will have to arrange transport to return his body home,” he said.

Muneri said his brother was survived by a 2-year-old son, Dheshan, and his wife, Talent.

A spokesman for the Passenger Rail Agency of SA, Mzamo Nomnganga, said the rail line was used by goods trains carrying logs and other products between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.

“They could have been crushed to death,” Nomnganga said. Daily News (South Africa)