Marondera Central legislator Caston Matewu (MDC Alliance), who was involved in a road accident on Friday night, was coming from a party and not on COVID-19 business as earlier reported.
BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA
The politician and six other passengers escaped death by a whisker after he lost control of the vehicle, a Toyota Fortuner, which veered off the road before hitting a tree.
All the occupants sustained serious injuries before they were rushed to Marondera Provincial Hospital after being rescued from the wreckage by well-wishers.
Matewu and a male passenger were later taken to Borrodaile Hospital, a private facility, while a female passenger was transferred to Sally Mugabe Hospital in Harare, where she is currently admitted.
From his hospital bed on Saturday, the legislator claimed that he was involved in the accident after he tried to avoid a speeding “unmarked vehicle” that was moving towards him.
He said he was saved by an army colonel who arrived at the scene at the same time with a Zanu PF vehicle.
But one of the passengers has denied Matewu’s claims, telling NewsDay that the MP was speeding and lost control of the vehicle while coming from an outing near Rufaro Dam.
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“He was speeding and I did not see anything in the front. I remember the vehicle ploughing into trees before I found myself being ferried to the hospital. We were coming from an outing just after Rufaro Dam,” the passenger recalled.
When this paper visited the accident scene, a witness said the speeding vehicle veered off the road and they had to trace its whereabouts through a car radio that was churning out music.
According to police, Matewu lost control of the vehicle while travelling on the gravel Longlands Road before hitting a tree.
The MP has angered residents who accused him of breaking the COVID-19 lockdown rules by partying at a time he should be indoors.
Meanwhile, the family of one of the passengers, a female who is admitted at Sally Mugabe Hospital, has approached the legislator to chip in and assist with medical bills.
When NewsDay arrived at the hospital on Sunday afternoon, family members said they were promised financial assistance by Matewu and his family.
The victim’s family initially approached Zanu PF shadow MP for the area, Cleopas Kundiona, who had pledged to foot the medical bills.
However, the victim’s family refused assistance from Kundiona, who on Sunday travelled to Sally Mugabe Hospital, saying Matewu had promised to assist them with money.
The family also said they were communicating with other MDC Alliance officials who had pledged to assist them.
