The ManicaPost
Ray Bande Senior Reporter
PROVIDING first aid to a colleague oozing blood from a ripped tummy marks the climax of a sorrowful tale that survivors of last Friday’s Forbes Border Post accident have lived to narrate.
One person died, while another one was seriously injured when a heavily loaded haulage truck developed a brake failure on a relatively sloppy gradient while driving towards Forbes Border Post on the Zimbabwean side.
The driver of the truck lost control of the vehicle as it ploughed into the security fence on the right side of the border post’s entrance, before uprooting trees on its way to the Department of Immigration employees’ houses.
The truck only stopped after ramming into the building and destroying household property.
Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Tavhiringwa Kakohwa confirmed the death of a Ministry of Health and Child Care employee, Ms Anna Kujenga.
The Health Ministry’s workers who were at the entrance of the border post conducting Covid-19 screening, including the late Ms Anna Kujenga, were the worst affected.
When The Manica Post visited the border post on Tuesday, highly alert security officers were controlling traffic at the border post.
With the truck still jammed to the immigration employees’ house and uprooted trees strewn all over, memories of the gory Friday events were still vivid. Mr Taurai Samakande, a resident at Forbes Border Post, said they were lucky that no one was in the house when the truck rammed into one of their bedrooms and destroyed furniture.
“It could have been a different story if someone was indoors.
“Apart from the super structure that was destroyed, furniture inside the bedroom was also destroyed. In fact, the entire building was affected as evidenced by the gaping cracks all over it.
“I was nearby when the accident occurred. It was a scary sight when I rushed to see the injured being taken to hospital. Some of them had been seriously injured,” said Mr Samakande.
A Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) officer who witnessed the accident but declined to be named citing protocol said assisting the injured was not easy.
“I had never seen human intestines in my life. Seeing them protruding from a victim’s tummy was scary.
“We had to help the injured to get medical assistance, but it was painful and so disturbing. The impact of the accident was worsened by the fact that the truck was loaded, hence could not stop on such a sloppy gradient,” he said.
A Ministry of Health and Child Care employee, who also declined to be named for professional reasons, said his colleague is now recuperating at home.
“We never expected such an occurrence. Up to now we are struggling to come to terms with how it all happened. It is sad.
“Our colleague who was in hospital has been discharged and is now recuperating at home.” he said
