Driving trucks on the dilapidated Harare-Chirundu Highway has become a nightmare for drivers as robbers pounce on slow-moving trucks even in broad daylight.
Jonas Kabasa, a 41-year-old truck driver who uses the route frequently, told NewsDay that the highway is now regarded as a death trap for local and regional travellers.
Kabasa, who was born and raised in Chinhoyi, drives trucks from South Africa to Zambia, Malawi or the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He said:
Of late, many travellers have been forced to sleep over along the highway, especially when travelling during the night after hitting deep gullies and potholes that are now permanent features along the way.
The road is no longer easy to travel on due to potholes.
Of late, some cars have been left on the roadside due to tyre punctures, malfunctioning engines affected by water from big potholes along the highway, especially during the rainy season.
Machete-wielding highway robbers popularly known as “Makaramata”, derived from how they get on top of a moving vehicle with ease because of the slow speeds, have also become a menace. Said Kabasa:
The Harare-Chirundu Highway is now a double tragedy for night drivers as we battle to navigate the potholed road from Chinhoyi to Chirundu which is now a death trap.
The worst is that we have to endure highway attacks by robbers, especially from Mapinga, Chikuti and Kasimure areas.
Tapera Rukambwa, a resident at Mapinga business centre said a masked robber has attacking people during the day when they stop to relieve themselves while enjoying the Mapinga scenery of the Great Dyke.
Speaking to NewsDay, a member of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) from Bindura said they had to open fire to apprehend a robber a few years ago. Said the detective:
A Bindura gold dealer lost some cash after he was raided at Mapinga lay-by by the suspect.
He provided us with transport as we investigated the matter.
We ambushed the robber around the area and spotted him in the bush, but he outran us all while ignoring warning shots.
He was finally shot in the leg. He led us to the place where he keeps his loot.
He had several thousands of US dollars in stolen money.
In April, a truck bound for Zambia was robbed at Chikuti about 180km from Harare.
Two suspects, armed with machetes and knobkerries, forced the driver to stop and confronted him and three other passengers demanding money.
The truck driver was robbed of US$1 500 while we surrendered at least US$500.
In January this year, Police warned haulage truck drivers to avoid travelling at night on the Harare-Chirundu highway saying there were dangerous criminals on the prowl targeting trucks between 7 PM and 5 AM
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