AT least four of the 11 people injured in a road accident that occurred along the Harare-Nyamapanda Road last Friday, killing five from the same family, have appealed for financial assistance to enable them to undergo computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans to check on the level of their injuries.
BY SILENCE CHARUMBIRA
Tinashe Mutiro, a relative to three of the survivors, told NewsDay yesterday that officials at Parirenyatwa Hospital, where all the 11 were admitted, were demanding between $800 and $1 000 for the scans, among other costly procedures that the family could not afford.
She said her cousins Joyce Mandebvu and Rumbidzai Matanhire along with her two-year-old niece Juliet Simbi had been advised to undergo head scans, but they were failing to raise the required fees.
“We are seeking assistance because considering what we are facing already, losing so many family members at the same time, we cannot afford it. Three have been buried today [yesterday] at Uzumba and we are to bury another two here tomorrow [today],” Mutiro said.
She said her uncle, Howard Nyakupinda who was also involved in the accident, needed around $800 for his leg which broke in three places.
The Matanhires lost four family members, a relative and a family friend, while 11 others were injured on Friday when the hired vehicle they were travelling in reportedly burst a front left tyre, veered off the road and rolled several times.
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The accident occurred while they were on their way to their grandmother’s funeral in Mutoko.
The accident claimed the lives of relatives Marjorie Katsande (72), friend Potifa Chipangura (52), Douglas (29), Bruce (31), Stella (28) and Jane Matanhire (30).
Bruce, Stella and Jane were buried in Uzumba, while Katsande was buried at Mabvuku Cemetery yesterday. Chipangura and Douglas are expected to be buried today at 11am at Mabvuku Cemetery.
Katsande’s son-in-law, William Sunhwa, yesterday accused the driver, identified as Kelvin Mutsa (20), of speeding and causing the accident.
“We feel it is an accident that could have been avoided by both the driver and the owner of the vehicle because there is no way on that part of the road that a driver could drive at more than 60km per hour,” Sunhwa queried.
A survivor, Tapiwa Mbanje, who sustained injuries on the hand, back and pelvis and is recuperating at home, said he only saw the vehicle swerving. “The car was moving rather fast, but the last I saw was the vehicle swerving,” he said.
Police could not be reached to shed light on investigations into the accident.
