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Albert Chavhunduka Herald Reporter
The driver of the Chitungwiza-bound commuter omnibus that killed 10 people, seven of them on the spot and three others on admission to city hospitals, was “fast and reckless”, fellow drivers at Charge Office Bus Terminus said yesterday.The accident occurred just after Trek Service Station (formerly Chinhamo) when the driver lost control and the vehicle veered off the road and rammed a tree. His colleagues yesterday told The Herald that the driver of the kombi, a Toyota Hiace (ACQ 5160), had only acquired a licence late last year.

“He started off as a kombi tout here at the rank but then took a driver’s licence about six months ago,” said one of his colleagues, while another added:

“We all knew him as a person who was just too fast. Some people even started avoiding boarding his kombi because of his speed.”
A driver on the same route said, “It is a sad thing now that his behaviour and way of driving has cost some innocent people’s lives.

“Some of the drivers here once warned him to be careful on the roads but people tend to think they are experienced because they drive every day.”

Said another driver: “This is a lesson to all of us and we now know how careful we should be on the roads.

“He had just taken a driver’s licence and he had not been driving for a very long time before this tragic accident.”

However, another driver blamed colleagues who edged him on.

“Some of the drivers would call him names of popular film stars that are known for racing cars and this might have made him think that he was really good at his driving, which has now ended in a tragic accident,” he said.

Greater Harare Commuter Operators Association secretary-general Mr Ngoni Katsvairo urged kombi crews to observe traffic laws to minimise road carnage.

“As an association we are saddened by this accident caused by human error and call upon all drivers to observe all traffic rules and regulations in order to preserve precious lives.

“Our sincere condolences go to the families of the deceased and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” he said.