4 mourners die in Kadoma crash

Four mourners were killed in a horror road accident near Ingezi Township in Kadoma yesterday while returning from the burial of a local resident.

The victims were identified as Fungai Dzomba, Mitchel Kanogwere (27), Elizabeth Chavhunguma (39) and Chenesai Chaitezvi (26).

The four were travelling in a Honda Fit from Rimuka Cemetery after attending the burial of Girly Mashiri when their vehicle was involved in a head-on collision with a double-cab vehicle near a service station along the Harare-Bulawayo highway.

Three of the victims died at the scene, while Chaitezvi succumbed to her injuries at Kadoma General Hospital.

The woman who was driving the Honda Fit was reportedly injured, although her whereabouts could not be established by the time of going to print.

Zimbabwe Republic Police Kadoma district spokesperson Assistant Inspector Cry Muriro confirmed the fatal accident.

The tragedy has left the Ngezi Township community in shock, with three of the deceased reportedly being netball players who represented various teams in Kadoma.

Kadoma Ward 1 councillor James Maluso said the local authority had pledged to assist the bereaved families.

"I'm at a loss of words on this incident. We are saddened as a city, especially the community in Ngezi Township," Maluso said.

He added that the City of Kadoma would provide free graves at Rimuka Cemetery for the victims.

"City of Kadoma has pledged to assist all the bereaved families with free graves at Rimuka Cemetery," he said.

Kanogwere's uncle, who lives in Chegutu, said the family was struggling to come to terms with the loss.

"We accept what has befallen us. We look forward to God's guidance in all that we will do. My niece has left a 5-year-old child," he said.

Chavhunguma's father said the family had not anticipated such a tragedy.

"It's something we did not expect. While it's a part of life, we can never plan for a funeral. The Almighty has made his choice. We accept it but we were never expecting it," he said.

He described his daughter as a sociable person who carried the name of her grandmother.

"We gave her our mother's name, and by her character she was following in the shoes of her grandmother. She was a very sociable person," he said.

Chaitezvi's elder sister, Beverly, said the family was struggling to comprehend the loss.

"We are touched by what befell us as a family, we are failing to come to terms with what we face at the moment," she said.

The accident has cast a pall of mourning over Kadoma, with the victims' families, friends and members of the local community now preparing to lay their loved ones to rest.