By Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu
Six people died on the spot while three others were seriously injured after two vehicles collided near Stanmore along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge Highway.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident which occurred on Saturday at around 3PM at the 81 kilometre peg.
He said a Honda CRV was headed for Bulawayo with four passengers on board when the driver encroached into the lane of oncoming traffic and collided with an Opel Corsa that was headed for Beitbridge.
Ass Comm Nyathi identified the deceased persons as Thulani Zvonoyo (55) from Kwekwe, Patson Ndlovu (25) from Binga, Thulani Ziga (35) from Waterford in Bulawayo, Sithethiwe Ndlovu (38) and Cosmas Muphasu (45) both from Rushinga while the sixth victim was yet to be identified.
“A Honda CRV was travelling along the Bulawayo- Beitbridge Road headed for Bulawayo with four passengers. Upon reaching the 81 kilometre peg near Nswazi turn off the driver encroached into the lane of incoming traffic and collided with an Opel Corsa that was coming from the opposite direction.
“The Honda CRV veered off the road before coming to a halt at the edge of the road while the Opel Corsa skidded on the road and came to a stop in the middle of the road. Six people died on the spot as a result of the accident among them four men and two women. Three people including the two drivers sustained serious injuries and they were ferried to United Bulawayo Hospitals,” he said.
Ass Comm Nyathi said the accident was suspected to have been caused by speeding. He urged motorists to adhere to road regulations and be safety conscious when travelling on roads in order to avoid loss of life.
“We appeal to drivers to observe road rules and regulations at all times. They shouldn’t speed as a number of accidents are being recorded as a result of excessive speeding. Drivers should also ensure they stick to their lanes and not straddle the centre line,” he said.
In another crash, a driver died on the spot while five passengers sustained injuries when a vehicle they were travelling in burst a tyre before rolling several times.
Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson, Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident which occurred just outside Gwanda Town at the 117 kilometre peg along Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road on Thursday at around 3AM. The Chronicle
