Chaos as cash van rams pirate taxi
A Fawcett security guard was involved in a scuffle with police officers after an accident involving his cash in transit vehicle and a pirate taxi Honda fit along Old Victoria Falls Road in Bulawayo.
The Honda fit driver made a sudden U-turn in front of the oncoming Fawcett security van near Mzilikazi High School and the security vehicle rammed into the former’s driver’s side at around 10AM on Friday.
The Honda Fit driver sustained injuries on both legs and appeared to be in a state of shock when The Chronicle arrived at the scene.
The security guards escaped unharmed. Police who attended the accident scene described one of the security guards who had tried to assault the Honda fit driver as overzealous.
They had a torrid time restraining him as he was shouting obscenities.
The guard, who appeared to be in his 50s, tried to assault the driver and after being ordered not to, turned on the police.
A crowd that had gathered restrained the guard as he pushed one of the cops, whose cap flew in the air during the scuffle.
A few minutes after the accident occurred, five more Fawcett security vehicles arrived at the scene, and armed guards stood by the truck that had been involved in the crash while others transferred money safes into another vehicle.
It was not established how much money the car was carrying or where it was headed at the time of the accident.
Taxi drivers and other witnesses at the scene said it may have been a botched heist.
An eyewitness, Mr Tawanda Maubaba, who was at the scene before The Chronicle arrived, said armed Fawcett security guards jumped from the vehicle barely seconds after the accident and stood guard.
“I saw everything, I was driving in the opposite direction and I slowed down when the Honda Fit was pulling stunts in the middle of the road. He failed to gauge the speed of the Fawcett vehicle and he did not finish the U-turn. They collided. Just after the impact, the security guards came out armed and stood guard by the door, and in less than five minutes, another Fawcett car arrived. It all happened fast. This security guard then started causing drama by wanting to assault the Honda Fit driver and the police for restraining him,” said Mr Maubaba.
Bulawayo Police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango confirmed the incident and urged the public to refrain from violent behaviour after an accident.
“Members of the public are advised not to be emotional but are advised to wait for the law to take its course. The moment one gets angry they risk committing another crime and being arrested,” she said.
Insp Simango urged people to respect police officers and allow them to perform their duties unhindered at accident scenes.
Mr Godfrey Ndlovu, a Fawcett Security employee whose contact details appear on the company’s website, said his superiors denied having heard of the matter.
“My bosses have instructed me to tell you that no such thing happened as far as they are concerned. You cannot publish that story because there is nothing like that,” he said. The Chronicle
