The government of Zimbabwe will pay for the funeral expenses of the 18 people who perished in a horror crash on Sunday, The Herald reports.
The horror crash claimed the lives of 8 members of the Rutsito family, and 7 family members from the Chitimbe family who were all traveling for the holidays when their cars collided close to Mutoko Business Center.
The government through the Department of Civil Protection Director Mr. Nathan Nkomo said the government will meet all hospital bills and funeral expenses:
For those with funeral policies, Government will assist with $2 500 per head and for those without funeral policies, Government will avail coffins and transport. To those who are currently hospitalised, Government will assist by meeting all the medical bills.
A family member of the Rutsito Family expressed sadness over the tragedy and said:
We are pained by this unexpected death which took away eight people from our family. Masimba Rutsito was my brother and was aged 39. He and his family had come home to visit from Harare. On their way back, that is when they met their fate.
He was driving the Isuzu double cab and in the car were 12 people who included his wife Audrey Mavhunga, his children Malcom, Naishe and Makomborero. Also in the car was our uncle, Simbarashe Mapuranga and his wife Grace Madzinga together with their child, Samuel. All these perished in the accident.
Those who were injured are Kupakwashe and Maxwell Rutsito, Patricia Mapuranga and one Gamuchirai who was a maid to Masimba’s family.They have been transferred to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals and they are critical. They need our prayers. We are in great pain.
The Chitimbe family lost Abigail Chitimbe (30), Nyasha Chikuza (7), Tawananyasha, Major Mushumbi (7), Sandra Kanobata (19) and Ngaakudzwe Nkolomah (1) according to the family spokesperson Mr Richard Chitimbe who said:
My sister Abigail and her two children Nyasha and Tawananyasha had visited a relative in Tabudirira, a few kilometers from here. She took with her, three of my elder sister’s children Major, Sandra and Ngaakudzwe.
On their way back, they were given a lift in a BMW vehicle which had a head on collision with an Isuzu vehicle. They all died. The family is in pain. We were looking forward to seeing them here yesterday, only to receive the bad news.
We will bury them tomorrow (today). We are appealing for any kind of assistance from well wishers to help in conducting burial of our family members.
More: The Herald