Businessman dies a painful death

Prominent Masvingo businessman Abraham 'Abuja' Chikozho who owned the fast growing Bercam Bus Services reportedly died a painful death when he remained trapped in the wreckage of his car for three hours after an accident in the Beatrice area on Saturday night.

No ambulance or fire brigade turned up at the scene until he was rescued by relatives after three and half hours. Travellers passing by felt so helpless as all they could do was watch the 42-year-old man die a slow and painful death, barred from the vital assistance he needed by the mangled steel that surrounded him.

Chikozho whose Bercam Bus Services is taking Masvingo by storm died 20km after Chivhu on his way from Masvingo to Harare when his Polo crashed head on with a Nissan UD truck as he tried to overtake on a curve.

Because there is reportedly just one ambulance in Chivhu and no firebrigade, assistance could only be found in Harare which is 130 km away from the scene of accident and none came for the next three and half hours.

Chikozho was buried at his rural home near Mhandamabwe in Chivi this week on Tuesday and every who is who of Masvingo turned up. Several Ministers including Josiah Hungwe and Deputy Minister Davies Marapira were present.

Two journalists Elias Mambo and Fungi Kwaramba who were at the scene a few minutes after the accident gave harrowing stories on their facebook page.

They said they tried to help Chikozho for more than three hours without success. They said two Police officers who arrived at the scene after 30 minutes were helpless as they had no equipment to retrieve Chikozho from the mangled wreckage.

They said their hearts bled as they impatiently hoped for the arrival of the firebrigade.

"Last night at midnight, in the company of my friend Fungisai Thomas Kwaramba, we witnessed a horrific accident at the 11km peg just after Featherstone. A new red VW polo was run over by a truck and reduced to a small box.

"The truck overturned while the polo was reduced into small box wreckage. The engine was squeezed out... the wheels...the gear box... seats were all scattered. But inside the wreckage was a man around 30 years. He lay there unconscious but one could see that he was still breathing.

"I asked the Police officer at thye scene when the ambulance ... the fire tender or any other helper was to arrive since we had already  spent 30minutes on the scene. The officer said the only ambulance from Chivhu had just passed by before accident on its way to Harare. He said from Mvuma to Beatrice there is no fire tender...they rely on Harare because all fire tenders in the area were long grounded. So we stood there watching the young man being painfully spent away...we tried all we could do but what was needed were the firemen and their torches to cut through the wreckage," said Mambo.

Alphonce Chikozho, the son of the late Chikozho's brother is one of those who eventually removed Chikozho from the wreckage.

He together with two other relatives went to the scene where they retrieved the late from the wreckage.

Alphonce confirmed the ordeal and said they removed the late Chikozho and rushed him to Chivhu General Hospital where he died on admission.

The relatives were contacted after a soldier who passed by the scene took Chikozho's phone and handed it over to the Police. The Police then dialled the numbers in the phone to alert relatives of the accident.

Chikozho is survived by four children.

He left six buses of which three were expected to land in Zimbabwe next week from South Africa.