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TAPIWA ZIVIRA, ONLINE REPORTER
As she opens her mouth to say something, tears fill her eyes and she tilts her head, squeezes her lips together and swallows saliva, attempting to hold back the tears, and says nothing.
She is evidently reliving last week’s trauma of watching her sister’s son die a painful death on the same tarmac she is standing on right now.
Her name is Samantha Kiti, aunt to the late Neil Tanatswa Mutyora, the three-year-old boy who was run over by a commuter omnibus last week.
She is here at the scene of the accident- where Chinhoyi Street meets Kwame Nkrumah Avenue- and in her company are Neil’s parents and aunties.
It is 16 year-old Samantha, the innocent-faced school-girl who was holding Neil’s hand when the accident occurred.
She is the same girl that endured hours giving a statement to the police, just a day after witnessing the mind-disturbing occurrence.
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So, this afternoon, she is here together with her family, once again visiting the scene of the accident.
It is on this place where her journey back home from paying electricity bills turned tragic.
It is also at this place where her decision – made out of sheer love – to bring along her sister’s son to see the city lights, broke her heart that fateful afternoon.
It is on this same tarmac that she broke down and wept, begging the lifeless Neil to wake up, because she could not believe that someone’s recklessness had robbed her of her beloved nephew.
According to Neil’s father, Cuthbert- today’s visit is an assesment of the scene to provide the grieving family with a clearer understanding of what really happened.
They are in search of truth.
Just like the first president of the United States George Washington put it, Cuthbert says, “Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light.”
As Cuthbert introduces himself to some of the touts present, people quickly gather around the family and an intense conversation ignites.
He leads by asking questions over what really transpired last Tuesday afternoon. One by one, vendors and commuter omnibus crews give their accounts and each testimony appears to confirm what Cuthbert’s family is seeking.
Some witnesses make indistinct mentions of a cop’s name, saying he is well known for smashing commuter omnibus windscreens.
Police have denied any involvement in the accident, and have since arrested and charged with culpable homicide the 28 year old Lloyd Kusotera who was driving the commuter omnibus that killed Neil.
But Cuthbert is not convinced and has vowed not attend the court sessions if the police officer allegedly involved is not brought to book.
“I have not gone to the courts and I will not do so until the police officer is brought to book, and I have told police to deal with my lawyers in everything” he boldly reaffirmed his declaration. I will do anything to bring the truth out and the testimonies I am getting from witnesses show there is an attempt to cover up. I am not just seeking to lay blame on one person, but let us have both the driver and the cop arraigned”Meanwhile as Cuthbert continues to talk to people, Samantha looks detached from the conversation as she consistently turns her head to look at the commuter omnibuses picking up passengers just a few metres away.
In one instance, she fixes her eyes on the shattered windscreens of two minibuses parked side by side, shakes her head and closes her eyes in an apparent flashback moment.
She quivers in discomfort and dips her hands into her jacket pockets each time a witness identifies her as the girl who was accompanying Neil.
The discussion progresses and Neil’s mother maintains her silence, with her mind seemingly miles away.
The conversation, which appeared to inflict more torture on Samantha, eventually grinds to a halt and the Mutyoras walk back to their car, ending yet another episode of their quest for the true circumstances that resulted in the death of their son.
For Samantha, it appears closure can only be brought by seeing that justice is served reasonably and impartially.
“The truth isn’t always beauty, but the hunger for it is.” ― Nadine Gordimer
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