Aaron Gono
Saturday the 7th of September 2024, was just a normal day for hustlers, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters at Chaka Business Centre in the vast rural district of Chirimuhanzu now called Chirumanzu.
Chaka business center is located along the Harare highway, about 70km from Masvingo City but at the border of Midlands and Masvingo Province.
The first activity of the Midlands province (Mvuma) is at Chaka business center. In the olden days Chaka was infamous for marauding rude boys. Now things have changed it is now a bastion of vendors, mushika mushika, farmers selling their produce, air time dealers, etc.
Each person now minds his/ her business. You either adapt or die. On Saturday Angeline Mutsindikwa Chikwama, one of the accident victims of Chaka was about to travel to Masvingo. She was accompanying her grandson back to school in Masvingo. As she was waiting to board the bus to Masvingo, the grim reaper visited her. Unfortunately , when the accident happened, she and the other male victim were the ones instantly declared dead. Angeline and the other male victim never experienced any pain but died in shock. Still now they don’t know that they have left us.
May God grant them eternal peace!
The male victim from Bikita was off duty, as he was working as a domestic worker at plots near Drierfontein Mission. He had taken time off to visit his family back home. He had some preparations for his family. Alas he never got there, to meet his family.
Grace Chitunya , another victim of the accident, was a vendor at the Chaka business centre operating beside the busy highway.
But she also met her final demise fending for her family. She was a mother and doing whatever could bring food on the table. She is now gone and who will look after her children? Grace, according to eye witnesses, she experienced some pain and shock. Unfortunately she also gave her last breath on the accident scene.
The last victim was a young boy, also from Muchakata ( Morgenster ). He was also going back home to begin his last school term on Tuesday (10/09/24), when the Grim Reaper visited him. He was hit and thrown under the base of a stationery kombi. He felt pain and shock and finally gave in to death. May God grant this young boy everlasting peace and comfort.
On Monday (09/09/24), as a devout Catholic l attended the memorial service of Angeline Mutsindikwa Chikwama at Chaka Parish. The mass was conducted by Fr. Muzvondiwa.
Fr. Muzvondiwa was on a conciliatory code. He told his congregants ‘to judge not’. Already we had our verdict He told us that ; ” Nobody can leave his/ her home with the intention of killing, except those who are suicidal. Those ones can plan their demise beforehand. The mushika mushika driver was going to work as usual. The car that hit our relatives was also on its different mission and not with malice aforethought.”
I and my Kangaroo court judges, looked at each other.” “Chokwadi takasvoda”.
Fr Muzvondiwa went on to teach his congregants; “that a man born from a womb of woman has short days to live. And you don’t know when and what will be the cause of your death.” I am a member of the Joseph’ s Guild. What Sr. Maphosa taught me at Gokomere Mission to forgive was just a token, some theological teachings. Now l have changed as l was good at keeping vendettas; an eye for an eye. Thanks Fr. Muzvondiwa for panel beating me.
Zimbabwe as a country doesn’t have law or security that caters for those killed or injured on its highways. It is the duty of the Zimbabwe National Road Agency ( Zinara ), to create such a fund. We have friends who are wheel chair bound due to accidents and are now unable to cater for their families.
They had to pay hospital fees and further medical expenses from their relatives’ budgets. There is nothing that is as painful like a man failing to meet the demands and challenges of his family.
Please our legislators we need a fund to cater for accident victims. Zinara your duty is not only road maintenance and rehabilitation but also to care for those killed or get injured in your area of jurisdiction.
