Masvingo Bureau
FOUR people died, three of them on the spot, while 17 others were injured yesterday after a Zvishavane-bound  bus rammed into a stationary haulage truck near Lundi Mission along the Masvingo-Beitbridge Highway. The bus belonging to Zijena

Transport was travelling from Beitbridge to Zvishavane with 70 people including the crew when the accident occurred at the 120km peg at around 3:45am.
One person died on admission at Neshuro District Hospital.

Out of the 17 people, who were injured, seven of them were in a very critical condition and transferred to Masvingo General Hospital where they are detained. The deceased were taken to Masvingo General Hospital mortuary. Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Tinaye Matake yesterday said 10 people escaped with minor injuries and were treated and discharged at Neshuro Hospital in Mwenezi yesterday.
Inspector Matake said the names of the deceased were being withheld as their next of kin had not yet been notified. Inspector Matake said the bus rammed a stationary haulage truck that had broken down near Lundi Mission.

“The Zijena bus was coming from Beitbridge and on approaching the 120-kilometre peg along the Masvingo-Beitbridge Highway it rammed a stationary haulage truck that was along the road resulting in some passengers who were seated on the left side the bus sustaining fatal cuts as a result of the impact,’’ he said.
He said the bus landed on its right side.

Insp Matake reiterated the need for drivers, especially, long distance buses to exercise extreme caution and reduce chances of unnecessary loss of life on the country’s major highways.

The Zijena bus accident comes a few weeks after another crash along the Masvingo-Beitbridge where a Megalink cross-border coach killed 21 people after it veered off the road and hit a treenear Ngundu Growth point.
The horror accident heightened calls for the government to speed up the dualisation of the Harare-Beitbridge Highway to help the busy road cope with a high traffic volume linking Zimbabwe to its largest trading partner South Africa.

Transport, Communications and Infrastructural Development permanent secretary Mr Partson Mbiriri has already warned long distance bus operators to stick to their travelling time tables or risk censure from Government.