Survival stories as bus crash survivors speak

Patrick Chitumba, patrick.chitumba@chronicle.co.zw

MS Sibonokuhle Nkomo, a 36-year-old mother from Pumula South in Bulawayo, had one wish for Christmas — to see her children’s faces light up with joy as they unwrapped new clothes. But fate had other plans.

On a fateful Sunday morning, she boarded an Inter Africa bus headed to Bulawayo, unaware of the horror that awaited her. As the bus sped down the Harare-Bulawayo Highway, disaster struck near Dabuka Shuttling Yard. The bus veered off course and rammed into the back of a haulage truck, claiming seven lives and leaving 22 passengers injured.

Ms Nkomo miraculously survived the crash but suffered severe wounds and was admitted to Gweru Provincial Hospital, where she remains under treatment. The tragedy left the community reeling as seven lives were lost, and 10 passengers, including a 5-year-old girl, suffered fractured legs.

Twelve injured passengers were discharged from the hospital, but Ms Nkomo’s road to recovery is long and uncertain after her left leg was amputated.

In an interview from her hospital bed, Ms Nkomo said she had made a trip to Harare the previous day to shop for Christmas clothes for her children as well as buy some clothes for resale in Filabusi, where she has a shop.

“All I wanted was to bring smiles to my children’s faces, you know. I had gone to Harare to buy Christmas clothes as well as some clothes for resale,” she said.

Ms Nkomo said around 10 pm on Saturday, she boarded the Inter Africa bus hoping to be in Bulawayo early Sunday.

“I think the bus left Harare around 11 pm and around 2 am we were in Gweru. I was all excited about having managed to buy everything I wanted for my children and my business. So, when we left Gweru for Bulawayo, I somehow fell asleep,” she said.

Ms Nkomo said before she knew it, she woke up to screams from fellow passengers.
“I don’t know what happened, but what I know is that the driver was speeding. I was asleep and was on the left side, which crashed into this haulage truck,” she said.

Ms Nkomo said she saw blood coming out of her left leg but wasn’t feeling any pain.
“I just thought it was a cut, and when they removed me from the bus, I realised that I could not stand on both legs. I was told to lie down, and when I got to the hospital, I was told that there was no way to save the leg, and they amputated it.

“I work in a shop in Filabusi, and my line of work involves travelling and standing. How am I going to do that when they have amputated my leg from the knee level? All I wanted was to make my children happy,” she said while wiping tears from her cheeks.

Another passenger, Ms Charity Mhike (29) from Rangemore suburb in Bulawayo, said she could not find the right words to thank the Lord for saving her and her four children.

“I had taken my four children aged 11 years, five years (twins), and five months to Harare to visit my mother. After the visit, we boarded this Inter Africa bus going back home,” she said.
She paid for a double seat and sat with her children.

“When we got to Gweru, the opposite seat became vacant after some passengers got off. I then asked my 11-year-old and the other twin to move to the vacant seat. The seat they went to occupy is on the driver’s side which was not affected during the collision, and I thank the Lord for giving me the wisdom to move my children. Unfortunately, I sustained a fractured left leg while the other twin fractured both legs,” she said.

Ms Mhike said besides speeding, the bus had no room for leg movement, resulting in many passengers fracturing their legs.

Mr Pingurai Marozva, also from Bulawayo, said the impact from the accident showed that the bus could have been speeding.

“I was on my way to Bulawayo where I work when I was woken up by a loud bang followed by screams from passengers. I sustained a fracture on the left leg,” he said.
Another passenger, Mr Joze Sanana from Magwegwe North, said the bus seats were so cramped up.

“I think the reason why almost all of the injured had fractured legs is because we were cramped up. From Harare, all passengers were saying they had no legroom,” he said.
Officials at Gweru Provincial Hospital said of the 22 who were admitted, 12 have since been discharged.
National Police Spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the death of seven people.

“Seven people were killed when an Inter Africa bus rammed into the back of a stationary truck,” said Commissioner Nyathi.
He said the bodies of the victims were taken to Gweru Provincial Hospital mortuary.