Pirate taxi driver cheats death

By Whinsley Masara

A pirate taxi driver in Bulawayo yesterday cheated death after he lost control of a Toyota Vitz he was driving while talking on the cellphone.

The vehicle careened off Leopold Takawira Street onto a pavement at the Centenary Park before rolling once and landing on its roof.

The accident occurred at around 12 noon as the vehicle headed towards Ascot Shopping Centre.

The driver was identified as Stanford Ncube (22).

Onlookers told The Chronicle pedestrians scattered in different directions as the vehicle went out of control on the pavement.

They said Ncube struggled to control the vehicle for about 50 metres before it overturned. Witnesses said Ncube initially violently resisted attempts to get him into an ambulance saying he was not injured.

“Miraculously, he really seemed unscathed,” said a witness.

Bulawayo Metropolitan Province acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the accident.

“We received a report of a man who lost control of his vehicle and was involved in an accident. He sustained minor injuries on his hand and was ferried to hospital.”

Asst Insp Ncube urged motorists to exercise utmost caution on the roads.

“As we approach the festive season, we are urging the public to exercise caution to curb the increasing rates of road accidents,” he said.

A witness, Mr Ian Dlula, said Ncube was on the phone when he encroached onto the other lane.

“When he realised he was encroaching onto the other lane, he tried to control the vehicle but failed, going totally off the road. He failed to control it and he later said his steering somehow jammed and the car slid off onto the pavement,” he said.

Mr Dlula said Ncube is employed by a couple which stays in Cowdray Park. He said Ncube was rushing to Killarney to pick up someone when the accident occurred. Chronicle