In Manzvire village where a tanker carrying ethanol exploded after colliding with a Mazda T35 truck on Wednesday killing 24 people, a cloud of unmistaken grief pervades the area.
OBEY MANAYITI
Villagers are seen roaming the black spot where 24 people perished on Wednesday morning.
Deep down in the lowveld, through a bumpy and dusty road in Mariya village, approximately 20 kilometres from the dark spot, leads to Muyambo-Chimbengerwa homestead where the corpse of Clifford Muyambo was supposed to be laid to rest.
The deceased were going to pay their last respects to Clifford, who died in Chegutu and was to be buried in his village of origin. Her mother, Alice, in her late 70s, was yesterday at a loss for words.
“Many of my children and grandchildren perished in the accident. This is difficult for me to accept. I don’t know what I have done or my children have done to deserve this accident,” Alice narrated in an interview punctuated by tears.
“I was supposed to bury my son here, but because of this accident, there will be many graves and those of people whom I do not even know.”
The headman of the area, Naison Mariya, said the tragedy had left all people wondering what could have angered the gods.
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“This is very painful. Everyone is mourning in this village. We do not know what will become of the spirits of those who were accompanying Clifford. Death is a common phenomenon, but such kind of death is very painful to us all and will leave a mark to upcoming generations,” he said.
When NewsDay arrived at the village, scores of mourners were still in shock and disbelief, wondering what could have caused the horrific accident.
Phillip Mariya (60), a relative, said: “As a community, we are still to come to terms with this horrific accident. When we heard the booming sound about 20 kilometres away we never thought the disaster could be of this magnitude. It could be a curse to this community.” Another relative Muchayo Sithole said that the incident will leave a permanent scar for the family.
He said the government should take the accident as a national disaster and not leave the family alone.
Manicaland provincial administrator Fungai Mbetsa said: “Definitely as a government we are chipping in. We are providing $200 for each body. This is towards the provision of a coffin and food for burial”.
National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said: “I can confirm that 24 people died in the accident. However, we are still identifying names of the victims as most were burnt beyond recognition. We, however, hope by tomorrow (today) we would have identified most of them.”
The Chipinge District Civil Protection unit made up of State agencies and non-governmental organisations have put together a fund with the assistance of Green Fuel to help the bereaved families.
Community leader Claris Madhuku said: “It’s for the community and government as a well as the company to work together and ensure that we help the bereaved families especially on the part of government and chip in and to ensure that families of the deceased cannot carry the burden alone.”
