56 injured in Zebra Kiss bus accident

Zim Now Writer

At least 13 cross-border traders were seriously injured this morning while 43 others and the bus crew sustained minor injuries when a Zebra Kiss bus was involved in an accident at the 133km peg along the Harare-Chirundu highway.

The bus was coming from Zambia and most of the passengers were asleep when the accident occurred near the Maningwa Mountains, popularly referred to as Gomo reDhiziri.

Mashonaland West provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Margaret Chitove said the driver lost control of the bus and swerved to the left before the bus landed on its side.

“13 passengers sustained serious injuries and were referred to Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital,” she said, adding that motorists must adhere to traffic rules.

The driver is believed to have been speeding, according to some of the passengers, resulting in the driver losing control of the bus.

“The driver was speeding and to avoid hitting an oncoming vehicle, he swerved to the left before it landed on its side,” one passenger said.

Inspector Chitove encouraged motorists to adhere to traffic rules as the nation joins the rest of the world to celebrate the Easter Holidays starting tomorrow.

Back in January, one passenger – ironically the conductor of a Rimbi bus – was killed while filming a “mad race” between his bus and a Zebra Kiss bus along the Harare-Bulawayo highway.

The two drivers have since been jailed with the Zebra Kiss driver being sentenced to two years in prison while his Rimbi colleague was sentenced to three years in jail.

This was after government had withdrawn Rimbi Tours’ permits and banned them from plying the Harare-Nyamapanda route, which they lifted after the bus firm apologised.