Driver foils gun attack on Beitbridge bound bus

The steady nerves of the driver of a Beitbridge bound bus probably saved his 40 passengers, robbery, injuries and worse when he steered the vehicle through a stone blockade and evaded a pursuing vehicle.

"The driver had slowed down for a road construction hump when shots were fired at the bus but he accelerated and did not stop. There were stones laid across the road and we observed a minibus driving fast alongside the bus. Shots hit the rear windows," a government official identified as Melody Mabonga, who was a passenger on the bus sent an audio that was shared on social media.

The incident occurred about 10 km outside Beitbridge.

Bridgestone Bus Service conductor Givemore Matemadanda said a single bullet hit the bus through a window on the right side and went out through the left side towards the back section.

All passengers and the crew escaped unscathed except for one woman who got slight cuts from the glass shards that fell from the broken window.

Officer commanding Beitbridge Police District Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo said that investigations are under way though no formal report has been made.

"We got that (report through an) audio and police reacted up to Lutumba but saw nothing. What really troubles me is no official report has been received other than this audio we picked from social media," said Nyongo.

There have been several cases of bus hijackings on the road between South Africa and Zimbabwe with passengers robbed of money, monile phones and other valuables.

Neighbouring South Africa has seen a rise in attacks on buses. According to Daily Maverick, between January 2021 and February 2022, more than 150 shootings, stonings and other acts of violence and intimidation directed at bus drivers and passengers were reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape and Gauteng.