Bulawayo Long Weekend Carnage Leaves 4 Dead, Several Injured

Three people were killed and at least four others injured in two separate accidents in Bulawayo between Sunday night and Monday morning, police said.

In the first incident, 50-year-old Mark Banda died on the spot after being struck by a hit-and-run motorist along Nketa Drive in Tshabalala at around 10.19PM on Sunday.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele said the driver, who was heading north, failed to stop to assist the victim.

“We warn all drivers against fleeing accident scenes. Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of the suspect should contact the nearest police station,” Msebele said.

Less than four hours later, at 2.17AM on Monday, a Honda Fit collided head-on with a haulage truck near the Emganwini turn-off along the Bulawayo–Plumtree Road. The Honda Fit driver, identified as James Dlamini, and an unidentified passenger died at the scene from head injuries, while another passenger and the truck’s driver and passenger were injured.

Police said the Honda Fit struck the truck’s fuel tank before veering off the road, while the truck’s horse caught fire and was reduced to ashes.

The long weekend due to Heroes Day and Defence Forces Day holidays also saw a spike in violent crime. In the early hours of Sunday, 24-year-old Pumula resident Mphekyezeli Freeman Ncube died after being stabbed multiple times in Bulawayo’s city centre. Police have launched a manhunt for his attackers.

Authorities have urged motorists to exercise caution, particularly when approaching heavy vehicles, and appealed to the public for information on the hit-and-run and the fatal stabbing. *ZimLive*