(Last Updated on April 24, 2023 by ZIMDAILY EDITOR)
KWEKWE – Two members of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s escort team died on the spot, while two others were seriously injured on Saturday when the vehicle they were travelling in rammed into a stationary haulage truck near Kwekwe.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the accident yesterday, but said details would be released in due course.
“There was a haulage truck and a Prado accident, but we will release more details in due course,” he said.
Sketchy details showed that the accident occurred at around 2pm about 15km from Kwekwe along the Harare-Bulawayo Highway.
“It involved a Toyota Prado with registration number AFO 3100 and a haulage truck registration number JX 25 XC GP.
“The Toyota Prado had four people on board, who seemed to be part of the advance Presidential escort,” NewsDay heard.
Mnangagwa has a farm in Sherwood outside Kwekwe, where he normally retreats to during weekends.
The driver of the Toyota Prado, Edmore Nyamadzawo Chingwaro (37) reportedly fell asleep behind the wheel and the vehicle veered off the road.
It rammed into the stationary haulage truck, which had stopped by the roadside to give way to the escort vehicles.
Chingwaro and Sorobhi Chirima (46) were identified as the deceased.
The other two passengers Zvidzai Gava (43) and Tasiyana Makanganwa (40) sustained serious injuries.
The two were reportedly airlifted to Harare for further treatment after receiving initial treatment at Kwekwe General Hospital.
The latest accident comes exactly two years after an executive escort motorbike outrider from the Zimbabwe Republic Police died on the spot after being involved in a head-on collision with a Toyota Altezza at a spot which is known as “PaJones” located between Lion’s Den and Chinhoyi along the Chinhoyi-Chirundu Highway.
The outrider, also referred to as a biker, was leading the First Lady’s motorcade.
The driver of the Toyota is alleged to not have given way when the accident occurred.
Auxillia was returning to the capital from Mhangura, where she had gone to make some donations for her philanthropic organisation.
The year before on April 24, 2020, one of Auxillia’s aides died and three others were injured after a vehicle in her convoy overturned near Muzarabani in Mashonaland Central province.
Zimbabwe has been recording a spate of fatal road accidents that are mainly blamed on human error, poorly maintained vehicles and roads.
Meanwhile, Nyathi yesterday confirmed another accident where one person died while two others were injured when a Nissan UD truck veered off the road and overturned before landing on its wheels at the 6km peg along Chirape-Masemo Road in Gokwe at the weekend.
“The body of the victim was taken to Gokwe North Hospital mortuary for post-mortem, while the injured are admitted at the same hospital,” Nyathi said.