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Herald Reporter
At least eight people were seriously injured when a Toyota Hiace they were travelling in collided with an oncoming private vehicle along Second Street Extension in Harare yesterday. The Toyota Hiace was heading to Bindura from the city centre and had 17 people on board, including the crew, while the private vehicle was travelling towards the city centre with only the driver on board.

Mr Robson Matshutshu (52), who was driving the private vehicle, said he noticed the commuter omnibus swerving in his direction before the collision.

“I was occupying the inner lane and another vehicle was in the outer lane,” he said. “I had no choice, but to collide head on with the kombi since swerving to the right could have caused another head-on accident with traffic proceeding from the city centre.”

Mr Matshutshu sustained no visible injuries, but was complaining of chest pains.
The kombi driver Mr Taurai Siwaru (33) said he failed to control the vehicle which started swerving towards oncoming traffic, leading to the accident.

Police from Avondale attended the scene and the injured were ferried to Parirenyatwa Hospital.
Meanwhile, a taxi driver escaped death by a whisker when a Toyota Spacio he was driving towards Ruwa from the city centre left the road on a bridge and landed on the river bed after Mabvuku turn-off on Wednesday evening.

The driver, Mr Munyaradzi Manyenga, said he dozed off at around 11pm on his way to Ruwa and awoke when the vehicle was plunging into the river.

He escaped from the vehicle which was almost submerged by water.