News / National
Mysterious bus talks, drives itself with no one inside
14 Jan 2013 at 04:36hrs | Views
A Leyland DAF commuter omnibus with no registration numbers has been abandoned in Mount Hampden after it "talked." The engine is still intact, keys in the ignition, mobile phone on dashboard and spare wheel attached to it a year after it was abandoned.
The white commuter omnibus was first discovered one morning parked along Lomagundi Road in Stapleford at a bus stop now commonly known as "pachikombi" with no occupants on board.
The owner could be one G. Gopoza of 12717 Unit N Seke whose telephone number 070-30249 is inscribed on the vehicle as per commuter omnibus regulations.
Residents of Mount Hampden, Stapleford, Darwendale and those that frequently use the Harare-Chirundu highway allege that the bus, without someone driving it, made a mysterious U-turn and is now facing the opposite direction.
Today the Leyland vehicle is parked along an off-road next to a railway crossing about 4,2km from the original position that it was originally parked. Locals maintain that the bus mysteriously "drove itself" and parked just after the rail-level crossing where some illegal brick sellers ply their trade.
"The bus was dumped here in January last year from where it had been parked for almost a year. I remember it was a Monday and it had rained the previous night, but what surprised me is that there were no tyre tracks," said one of the illegal brick sellers who identified himself only as Green. The bus was parked pamhararano (at a crossroad) but we had to push it to where it is now because it was blocking trucks that ferry bricks as well as our (open space) office," added Green to the acknowledgment of about 11 of his colleagues who are commonly referred to as makoronyera ezvidhina in the area.
According to people in the area, the bus was once stripped of its tyres for about two days, but they were shocked to wake up the third morning seeing the tyres fitted back.
Mufori Mapfuka said speculation was rife that the bus spoke and the persons who had taken the wheels were forced to return them after they heard a strange voice.
"Why the bus has its engine intact remains mysterious. We believe that if anyone tries to take anything away, that is when the voice is heard. People speculate that the voice from the bus asked the person who had taken the wheels how it was going to move and that prompted the person to return them," he said.
"We once saw a huge snake that came out from the engine, whether it was a real snake or it had to do with the bus, no one knows," said Henry Million as he enjoyed his lunch inside the abandoned commuter omnibus.
While there seems to be no one substantiating the claims of the bus talking or having talked, locals still question why the owner has failed to reclaim it for such a long time.
Investigations led to Chitungwiza where a can of worms opened and brought to the picture Gilbert Gopoza, Enock Jazi and a United Kingdom-based Vengai Jazi, who is said to be the owner of the commuter omnibus. According to Enoch Jazi, who is father to Vengai, the bus was giving Gilbert problems after it "talked".
"I was surprised to see him (Gilbert) on my doorstep, after a long time. Gilbert Gopoza wanted us to help him change the registration books which reflected his name and also the addressees on the kombis, because of the mysterious happenings which he said were taking place. He came to us and said 'Baba, Hakuna kumira zvakanaka, rimwe bhazi rinonzi rakataura pamugwagwa' (Baba, akumanga kahle, enye ibhasi kuthiwa yakhuluma emgwaqweni) (Dad, things are not well, one of the buses is said to have talked on the highway.," said Mr Jazi.
Mr Jazi said the initial agreement was that Vengai bought some kombis and gave Gilbert, a next door neighbour and friend, custody over them as he would help in the administration of the transport business.
"We worked together with him (Gilbert) for one month, whilst he did the technical stuff, and we were responsible for the banking of the proceeds," narrated Mr Jazi.
"After a month, Gilbert phoned our son behind our back and told him that we were misusing the proceeds from the business. Ever since that phone call, our son informed us to cease our operations from his businesses and left to Gilbert to run the kombi business. We never saw any problem with that, and that was the end of our participation in the business." Mr Jazi alleges that Gilbert amassed wealth for himself and his business.
However, Gilbert Gopoza had his own version, which contradicted with what was said by the Jazis.
"I just facilitated the shipping and subsequent registration of the properties here in Zimbabwe, and I never benefited anything from the whole business," he said as he hit out at the Jazis for trying to tarnish his image.
"They (the Jazis) are the ones who did all the administration of the business and they just used my trade name, since the properties were registered in my name. He (Vengai) said he trusted me," said Gilbert.
Gilbert further claimed that the Jazis later on sold the kombi in question to someone he does not know.
However, Gilbert could not explain how the kombi registered in his name could be sold without his knowledge, since he is in possession of the registration book.
"The person who bought the kombi is the one who should come to me so that we initiate the process of changing the name on the registration book," he said.
On allegations that he approached the Jazis for help after the kombi had "talked", Gilbert said he did so after police had called to inform him that a kombi registered in his name had been lying idle on the side of the road for a long time.
However, on the issue of the commuter omnibus "talking" Gilbert said: "I have also heard it from the grapevine that the kombi uttered some words, but I have no actual knowledge about the goings-on since I ceased to be part of the business a long time ago.
Harare police spokesperson Inspector Tadius Chibanda said the police were yet to locate the owner of the vehicle.
"Several visits to the house number that is written on the bus have yielded no results. We are yet to find the owner. We will check with our database at the Vehicle Theft Squad, and if the vehicle is not reported stolen, then we will try to enlist the services of the Central Vehicle Registry to ascertain the actual owner," said Inspector Chibanda.
However, it still remains a mystery how the bus got to be where it is, why its owner has not reclaimed it two years down the line and if it is fact that it "talked".
The white commuter omnibus was first discovered one morning parked along Lomagundi Road in Stapleford at a bus stop now commonly known as "pachikombi" with no occupants on board.
The owner could be one G. Gopoza of 12717 Unit N Seke whose telephone number 070-30249 is inscribed on the vehicle as per commuter omnibus regulations.
Residents of Mount Hampden, Stapleford, Darwendale and those that frequently use the Harare-Chirundu highway allege that the bus, without someone driving it, made a mysterious U-turn and is now facing the opposite direction.
Today the Leyland vehicle is parked along an off-road next to a railway crossing about 4,2km from the original position that it was originally parked. Locals maintain that the bus mysteriously "drove itself" and parked just after the rail-level crossing where some illegal brick sellers ply their trade.
"The bus was dumped here in January last year from where it had been parked for almost a year. I remember it was a Monday and it had rained the previous night, but what surprised me is that there were no tyre tracks," said one of the illegal brick sellers who identified himself only as Green. The bus was parked pamhararano (at a crossroad) but we had to push it to where it is now because it was blocking trucks that ferry bricks as well as our (open space) office," added Green to the acknowledgment of about 11 of his colleagues who are commonly referred to as makoronyera ezvidhina in the area.
According to people in the area, the bus was once stripped of its tyres for about two days, but they were shocked to wake up the third morning seeing the tyres fitted back.
Mufori Mapfuka said speculation was rife that the bus spoke and the persons who had taken the wheels were forced to return them after they heard a strange voice.
"Why the bus has its engine intact remains mysterious. We believe that if anyone tries to take anything away, that is when the voice is heard. People speculate that the voice from the bus asked the person who had taken the wheels how it was going to move and that prompted the person to return them," he said.
"We once saw a huge snake that came out from the engine, whether it was a real snake or it had to do with the bus, no one knows," said Henry Million as he enjoyed his lunch inside the abandoned commuter omnibus.
While there seems to be no one substantiating the claims of the bus talking or having talked, locals still question why the owner has failed to reclaim it for such a long time.
Investigations led to Chitungwiza where a can of worms opened and brought to the picture Gilbert Gopoza, Enock Jazi and a United Kingdom-based Vengai Jazi, who is said to be the owner of the commuter omnibus. According to Enoch Jazi, who is father to Vengai, the bus was giving Gilbert problems after it "talked".
"I was surprised to see him (Gilbert) on my doorstep, after a long time. Gilbert Gopoza wanted us to help him change the registration books which reflected his name and also the addressees on the kombis, because of the mysterious happenings which he said were taking place. He came to us and said 'Baba, Hakuna kumira zvakanaka, rimwe bhazi rinonzi rakataura pamugwagwa' (Baba, akumanga kahle, enye ibhasi kuthiwa yakhuluma emgwaqweni) (Dad, things are not well, one of the buses is said to have talked on the highway.," said Mr Jazi.
Mr Jazi said the initial agreement was that Vengai bought some kombis and gave Gilbert, a next door neighbour and friend, custody over them as he would help in the administration of the transport business.
"We worked together with him (Gilbert) for one month, whilst he did the technical stuff, and we were responsible for the banking of the proceeds," narrated Mr Jazi.
"After a month, Gilbert phoned our son behind our back and told him that we were misusing the proceeds from the business. Ever since that phone call, our son informed us to cease our operations from his businesses and left to Gilbert to run the kombi business. We never saw any problem with that, and that was the end of our participation in the business." Mr Jazi alleges that Gilbert amassed wealth for himself and his business.
However, Gilbert Gopoza had his own version, which contradicted with what was said by the Jazis.
"I just facilitated the shipping and subsequent registration of the properties here in Zimbabwe, and I never benefited anything from the whole business," he said as he hit out at the Jazis for trying to tarnish his image.
"They (the Jazis) are the ones who did all the administration of the business and they just used my trade name, since the properties were registered in my name. He (Vengai) said he trusted me," said Gilbert.
Gilbert further claimed that the Jazis later on sold the kombi in question to someone he does not know.
However, Gilbert could not explain how the kombi registered in his name could be sold without his knowledge, since he is in possession of the registration book.
"The person who bought the kombi is the one who should come to me so that we initiate the process of changing the name on the registration book," he said.
On allegations that he approached the Jazis for help after the kombi had "talked", Gilbert said he did so after police had called to inform him that a kombi registered in his name had been lying idle on the side of the road for a long time.
However, on the issue of the commuter omnibus "talking" Gilbert said: "I have also heard it from the grapevine that the kombi uttered some words, but I have no actual knowledge about the goings-on since I ceased to be part of the business a long time ago.
Harare police spokesperson Inspector Tadius Chibanda said the police were yet to locate the owner of the vehicle.
"Several visits to the house number that is written on the bus have yielded no results. We are yet to find the owner. We will check with our database at the Vehicle Theft Squad, and if the vehicle is not reported stolen, then we will try to enlist the services of the Central Vehicle Registry to ascertain the actual owner," said Inspector Chibanda.
However, it still remains a mystery how the bus got to be where it is, why its owner has not reclaimed it two years down the line and if it is fact that it "talked".
Source - H-Metro
