Police officers and Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID) officials who were manning a roadblock that cleared the Urban Connect bus involved in a recent fatal accident in Beitbridge are now under investigation to determine why they allowed the bus to continue on its ill-fated journey, reported <a href="https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/beitbridge-crash-police-vid-officers-under-investigation/">HeraldOnline</a>.
This follows the suspension of Urban Connect Holdings’ operating licence for six months by Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona, after a tragic head-on collision with a haulage truck on the Beitbridge-Masvingo highway that claimed 28 lives.
The suspension was due to several violations, including the bus lacking a valid passenger insurance policy and route permit, as well as the driver failing to meet the re-test requirement.
In response to concerns raised by legislators about police officers permitting unroadworthy buses to pass through roadblocks, Mhona asserted that moving forward, officials manning roadblocks will be held accountable for neglecting their duties and allowing such buses to pass unchecked. He said:
<blockquote>
It is saddening that we have our people manning roads and we actually speak to those supervising roadblocks.
So, I have engaged my counterpart, the Minister of Home Affairs, to say that police and VID officials will be held accountable if they allow buses to pass through manned roadblocks and are subsequently involved in accidents.
</blockquote>
Urban Connect bus, carrying 65 passengers, collided head-on with an Auro Transport haulage truck, which had four occupants, near Lutumba Toll Gate at around 8 AM on Thursday, February 13.
The accident occurred as the bus attempted to overtake another vehicle. The bus was travelling from Harare to Beitbridge, while the truck was heading in the opposite direction.

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Police and VID officials are being investigated for allowing a bus involved in a fatal accident in Beitbridge to continue its journey. The bus, operated by Urban Connect Holdings, collided with a haulage truck, resulting in the deaths of 28 people. The bus had several violations, including lacking insurance and permits, and the driver did not meet requirements. The Minister of Transport suspended the company's license for six months. Moving forward, officials at roadblocks will be held accountable for allowing unsafe buses to pass. The accident happened when the bus tried to overtake another vehicle.

Police And VID Under Investigation Over Fatal Urban Connect Bus Accident

The death toll from the road traffic accident that occurred on February 13 along the Masvingo-Beitbridge Road, near the Lutumba tollgate at the 262-kilometre mark, has risen to 28.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) confirmed the update in a statement posted on its X page, which reads as follows:
<blockquote>
Reference is made to the ZRP press statement released on 21/02/24 on a fatal road traffic accident which occurred on 13/02/24 at the 262 kilometre peg along Masvingo-Beitbridge Road, Lutumba. The death toll has risen to 28. Two victims, a man and woman, are yet to be identified.
</blockquote>
An Urban Connect bus, carrying 65 passengers, collided head-on with an Auro Transport haulage truck, which had four occupants, near Lutumba Toll Gate at around 8 AM on Thursday, February 13.
The accident occurred as the bus attempted to overtake another vehicle. The bus was travelling from Harare to Beitbridge, while the truck was heading in the opposite direction.
In response to the incident, Felix Mhona, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, suspended Urban Connect Holdings Pvt Ltd from operating its omnibuses on all routes for six months.
Mhona said that the company was not in compliance with the country’s road traffic and safety regulations, leading to the temporary suspension of its operations.

A bus accident in Zimbabwe killed 28 people. The accident happened when an Urban Connect bus crashed into a truck near Lutumba Toll Gate. The bus was trying to pass another vehicle. The Minister of Transport suspended Urban Connect Holdings Pvt Ltd from operating for six months because they didn't follow safety rules. The police are still trying to identify two victims of the accident. The accident happened on the Masvingo-Beitbridge Road on February 13.

Urban Connect Bus Accident Death Toll Climbs To 28

The death toll from the road traffic accident that occurred on February 13 along the Masvingo-Beitbridge Road, near the Lutumba tollgate at the 262-kilometre mark, has increased to 26.
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesperson, Commissioner Paul Nyathi, announced on Friday that a female adult, who had been hospitalised at Parirenyatwa Hospital with injuries from the accident, succumbed to her injuries on February 19, 2025. Added Nyathi:
<blockquote>
The Zimbabwe Republic Police is appealing to the public to assist in identifying two remaining victims who died in the fatal road traffic accident.
The first unidentified victim is a male adult who was wearing a red t-shirt and black trousers at the time of the accident. The second victim is a female adult who was wearing a black jersey and black trousers.
Anyone with information should report to the nearest police station or contact the National Complaints Desk at (0242) 703631 or WhatsApp 0712 800 197.
</blockquote>

A bus accident in Zimbabwe killed 26 people. The police are trying to identify two victims. One is a man in a red shirt and black pants, and the other is a woman in a black shirt and black pants. The police are asking for help from the public to identify them. If anyone has information, they should go to a police station or call the National Complaints Desk.

Urban Connect Bus Accident Death Toll Climbs To 26, Two Victims Remain Unidentified

Former CCC Change Champion in Chief, Nelson Chamisa, has expressed his deep concern over the tragic accident that claimed 25 lives in Beitbridge last Thursday.
The accident occurred when a speeding Beitbridge-bound Urban Connect bus collided head-on with a haulage truck transporting magnesium to Chirundu, near the Lutumba toll gate along the Beitbridge-Masvingo highway.
Chamisa lamented the fact that Zimbabwe has earned the unfortunate distinction of having the highest rate of road traffic accidents globally.
He said the country’s roads should not be death traps, but safe passages that lead people to their destinations, not places of tragedy. Said Chamisa:
<blockquote>
Travelling in Zimbabwe now is like going to war, you never know if you will make it alive. Our emergency responders are doing their best under difficult circumstances, but a response time of 1-2 hours is simply too long and is costing lives at the accident scene.
Instead of being places of healing, our hospitals are themselves in hospital, have become hospitalised – they are basically death cages where treatment is absent, and survival is a mirage.
We just have too many accidents in our country. The first and biggest accident is the accident of a wrong government.
</blockquote>
Chamisa said the alarming number of accidents on the country’s roads highlights a serious failure in governance and leadership.
He pointed out that the issue reflects not only a lack of proper policy direction but also a failure to take the decisive actions and interventions necessary to address this pressing challenge on Zimbabwe’s roads. He concluded:
<blockquote>
We continue to pray for the families mourning the 24 (sic) lives lost in this tragedy. We also wish all the injured a speedy recovery. May God comfort and strengthen us all.
</blockquote>

Nelson Chamisa is sad about a big accident in Zimbabwe that killed 25 people. He thinks the country's roads are very dangerous and too many accidents happen. He says the government is not doing a good job of making the roads safe. Chamisa wants the government to take more action to prevent accidents. He hopes the families of the people who died in the accident will feel better soon. Chamisa also wants the injured people to get better quickly. He believes that Zimbabwe needs better leaders to make the roads safer.

Chamisa: Travelling On Zimbabwe's Roads Is Now Like Going To War

The dire state of Zimbabwe’s healthcare system was starkly exposed last week following a tragic bus accident in Beitbridge.
Victims of the crash, which resulted in 25 fatalities and dozens of injuries, were photographed at a local hospital with broken bones held together by makeshift casts made from cardboard, sellotape, and cloth.
The accident occurred last Thursday when a speeding Beitbridge-bound Urban Connect bus collided head-on with a haulage truck carrying magnesium to Chirundu near the Lutumba toll gate on the Beitbridge-Masvingo highway.
Images shared online depicted the victims lying helplessly while medical staff, working tirelessly, tried to save lives under incredibly difficult conditions.
Transport Minister Felix Tapiwa Mhona, Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe, and Matabeleland South Provincial Minister Eveline Ndlovu visited Beitbridge District Hospital, where they were photographed with the accident victims.
The sight of accident victims’ limbs being held together with cardboard and tape during a photo op was widely condemned as a heartless public relations stunt.
Further investigation revealed that the Urban Connect bus was operating without a valid route permit, and the driver did not have a valid retest certificate.
Renowned lawyer and former Mt Pleasant MP, Advocate Fadzayi Mahere, sharply criticized the government for neglecting the health sector. She said:
<blockquote>
We are not letting this healthcare issue go. Why is the practice of using makeshift cardboard boxes to treat fractures so widespread in our public hospitals? Where is the dignity?
Surely, you must all resign. This level of incompetence borders on the criminal. It’s a mess. We need new leaders.
</blockquote>
In another post on X on Sunday, February 16, 2025, Mahere criticized the government for its failure to provide basic supplies in hospitals. She wrote:
<blockquote>
They promised us affordable, quality healthcare. Instead, they have given us cardboard boxes to use as casts to treat fractures, no clean water in public hospitals, torn hospital beds and no medication. It’s a mess.
</blockquote>
ZANU PF loyalist Kudzai Mutisi, based in South Africa, also weighed in, criticizing his own party’s ministers as ineffective and incapable of providing even the most basic services to the people. He said:
<blockquote>
A Cabinet Minister is witnessing FIRST HAND how his colleague in the Ministry of Health and Child Care has FAILED to do simple things. Felix Mhona will leave the hospital and SAY NOTHING about a dysfunctional system he witnessed.
In fact, he might join the 2030ists asking for more time to play. If you can’t do it now, then you certainly won’t do it even if given 40 more years. The current team of ministers lacks urgency and has misplaced priorities.
</blockquote>

Last week, a bus accident in Zimbabwe left 25 people dead and many injured. Photos showed victims in the hospital with broken bones held together by cardboard, tape, and cloth. The bus was operating without the proper permits and the driver did not have a valid certificate. Many people, including a lawyer and a ZANU PF loyalist, criticized the government for neglecting the healthcare system. They said the use of makeshift casts was unacceptable and that new leaders were needed to fix the problems in hospitals. The sight of accident victims with cardboard casts sparked outrage among the public.

Pictures Of Hospitalised Urban Connect Bus Accident Victims In "Cardboard Casts" Spark Public Outrage

<h2>Statement by Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) national spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi on the Urban Connect Bus Accident accident:</h2>
<blockquote>
UPDATE ON A FATAL ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT AT THE 262 KM PEG ALONG MASVINGO-BEITBRIDGE ROAD, LUTUMBA
Reference is to the Zimbabwe Republic Police press statement released on 13th February 2025 on a fatal road traffic accident at the 262-kilometre peg along Masvingo-Beitbridge Road, near Lutumba Tollgate.
The death toll has risen to 25.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police releases the names of 22 of the 25 victims who were identified by their next of kin as listed:-
<ul>
<li>Gwiba Kezias (51), a male adult of Stoneridge, Harare,</li>
<li>Mudzingwa Origin (47), a male adult of Sese Village, Masvingo,</li>
<li>Tsitsi Mukaro, a female adult of Dulibadzimu, Beitbridge,</li>
<li>Emma Mukaro, a female adult of at Dulibadzimu, Beitbridge,</li>
<li>Punich Masvenhise (45), a male adult of SDP, Beitbridge,</li>
<li>Richard Kandororo (37), a male adult of Marindale, Norton,</li>
<li>Vincent Bvumbe (35), a male adult of Shule Shule, Beitbridge,</li>
<li>Petronella Murungweni (26), a female adult of Mashavire, Beitbridge,</li>
<li>Jeke Paradzai (46), a male adult of Glen Norah, Harare,</li>
<li>Abell Rumbwere, a male adult of Mashavire, Beitbridge,</li>
<li>Melissa Jackson (21), a female adult of Warren Park, Harare,</li>
<li>Natasha Tembo, a female adult of SDP, Beitbridge,</li>
<li>Gilbert Gwinyai Mafi, a male adult of Mbare, Harare,</li>
<li>Elizabeth Mauto (48), a female adult of Seke, Chitungwiza,</li>
<li>Faustina Zhakata Chibamu, a female adult of Budiriro 5, Harare,</li>
<li>Mutsekwa Josphine, a female adult of Dulibadzimu, Beitbridge,</li>
<li>Mollicious Kahanda (37), a female adult of Holiday Inn, Beitbridge,</li>
<li>Douglous Mandira (43), a male adult of Marlborough, Harare,</li>
<li>Angela Tembo, a female adult of SDP, Beitbridge,</li>
<li>Taziva Nyashega a male adult of Hatcliffe, Harare,</li>
<li>Elton Marima, a male adult of Old Medium, Beitbridge.</li>
</ul>
29 injured passengers are receiving treatment at Beitbridge District Hospital while two others are admitted at Gwanda Provincial Hospital and the other 13 victims were transferred to United Bulawayo Group of Hospitals for further medical attention.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police is appealing to the public to assist in identifying the remaining three victims.
Meanwhile, the Police urge drivers to be responsible on the roads, promote road safety and avoid overtaking in situations which are clearly not safe to do so.
</blockquote>
NB: The ZRP stated that only 3 of the 25 victims have yet to be identified. However, in the statement above, the ZRP identified 21 victims, not 22, as one of them, Jeke Paradzai (46), was listed twice.

A bus accident in Zimbabwe killed 25 people. The police have named 21 victims so far. Some are getting medical help in hospitals. The police are asking for help to identify 3 more victims. They want drivers to be careful and not take risks on the road. It's important to drive safely to avoid accidents. One person was listed twice by mistake in the names released by the police. The accident happened on the Masvingo-Beitbridge road near Lutumba Tollgate.

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