The family of a primary school girl in Dema, a few kilometres from Chitungwiza, who was run over and killed by a top United States diplomat in June 2024, is still heartbroken and seeking closure.
Gogo Beaular Machingura (63), the victim’s grandmother, told The Herald that she is still struggling to eat after losing her granddaughter Ruvarashe Takamhanya.
The 11-year-old girl was fatally injured when she was run over by the vehicle of Eric Kimpton, the Second Secretary at the US Embassy, on June 3 around 10 AM while on her way to school.
Gogo Machingura recounted that on the fateful day, they both left their village home in Masiiwa Village in Dema around 10 AM and separated at the gate, with Ruvarashe taking her route to Marikopo Primary School while the grandmother headed to Ward Centre where she was teaching Early Childhood Development courses. Said Gogo Machingura:
When she had travelled about 10 metres, she waved me goodbye… I was simply told that my granddaughter had been hit, alive but badly injured.
When she arrived at the scene, the alleged killer had already left the place and the child was dead. She said:
My granddaughter had already died, and the alleged killer had reportedly left to report the case to the police, we have never seen his face up to date.
Although the US diplomat reportedly contributed towards the expenses for the child’s burial, the family is seeking some form of compensation.
Gogo Machingura expressed their hope that the alleged killer would come to see where the child was buried and make compensation arrangements.
However, she said he simply sent two representatives, and the family has not heard anything further from him or the representatives since the burial.
Ruvarashe’s biological father, Silvester Takamhanya, who spoke with The Herald over the phone, said that the family needs to find closure in this tragic incident. He said:
I am not demanding much, but the killer should understand that this child had her own dreams.
She had a bright future and had promised her grandmother that once she got a job, she would buy her a house in Borrowdale, and she had promised me a house in Mt Pleasant, and her mother had been promised a house in Marlborough.
It all shows that our child had big plans for us, so they should at least do something so that we can feel better.
Kimpton, under the shield of diplomatic immunity, left the country with his family for the United States, saying he was traumatised and needed to get counselling services.
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