By Rangarirai Shanyurai
Four people died after a Nissan Serena vehicle they were travelling in veered off the road and overturned along the Roy-Chiredzi road on September 14, 2024.
Police confirmed the incident on its official X handle and said four other passengers who were injured are admitted at Msiso Hospital.
Circumstances are that on the day in question at around 0725 hours, upon reaching the 60-kilometre peg, the vehicle, with eight passengers on board veered off the road and overturned before landing on its side after the rear right tyre burst. Subsequently four people died on the spot while four others were injured.
The bodies of the deceased were taken to Msiso Hospital mortuary for post-mortem while the injured were admitted at the same hospital. The victims’ names could not be disclosed at the time of writing as they had not yet been identified by their next of kin.
The Roy-Chiredzi road has emerged as a hotspot in Masvingo Province due to the frequent occurrence of accidents.
On August 31, 2024, another accident occurred at the 867-kilometer peg along the same road when Caston Masara from Zaka failed to negotiate a curve. The car lost control and overturned several times. Masara was thrown out through the front windscreen, sustained a deep cut on the head, and died on the spot.
On March 28 another road traffic accident occurred at 30km peg along the Roy-Chiredzi where about 55 passengers’ cheated death when an Inter Africa bus driver failed to negotiate a curve before the bus overturned.
The road has one of deadliest steeps nicknamed ‘Perirendava’ where several haulage trucks get stuck after failing to pull through the steep causing congestion and accidents.
