THE Bindura community in Mashonaland Central was left in shock after six Ran Mine Primary School pupils from one family were knocked by a speeding vehicle along the Harare-Mukumbura road, resulting in the death of five.
The unfortunate incident occurred on September 28.
As the family grapples with the aftermath of the unimaginable tragedy, the loss of these young lives has deeply affected the Bindura community, prompting an outpouring of condolences and support for the grieving relatives.
NewZimbabwe.com attended burial of three of the five victims, who were laid to rest on October 1 at Bindura Cemetery.
In an interview, father of a Grade 7 pupil who passed away in the accident, vowed to fight for compensation for his child.
“The children were all related, but one of the children was my own. What I want to say is that if this it is God’s will, let it be done in His name; however, I don’t believe it is God’s will.
“I was expecting the authorities to do everything possible to help me heal, even if that means providing compensation for my daughter. She had already written some of her Grade 7 ZIMSEC exams, but for the past two days, she couldn’t write due to this tragedy. My daughter is no longer here in this life, and it is so painful.
“The driver was in the wrong, with some eyewitnesses saying that he was drunk. When I personally arrived at the scene, there were empties and full cans of beer, which shows that this incident didn’t just happen on its own. It was caused by someone under the influence of alcohol, leading them to hit our children”, he said.
Mrs Katsande, teacher of the late Ashley Mabeka, a Grade 5 learner, expressed her grief.
“We are traumatised and pained by this funeral. As their teachers, we spent more time with them, so we knew and were accustomed to them.
“I taught Ashley Mabeka, a sweet child who needed attention. Before the accident, just a few days in my class, she was nagging—like kids do. I would tell her to go and sit somewhere else, but now I am in pain because I think that was her way of saying goodbye.
“The whole class came to this funeral, even though you didn’t tell them. This shows how deeply we were moved by this unfathomable tragedy”, said Katsande.
Another teacher from Ran Mine Primary School expressed sadness over the tragic killing of the learners in a road traffic accident.
“Today, we laid to rest three of our students; one in Grade 3, one in Grade 5, and a Grade 7 candidate who was writing ZIMSEC exams. All five children were relatives who were sent to buy something and were tragically hit by a car. Three died on the spot, and two passed away at the hospital.
“We are heartbroken by this tragedy affecting the family and our school. We had high hopes for these young ones as future leaders, and it’s especially painful that they were all related. We share the family’s grief,” said the teacher.
A close friend of the family asked for assistance to determine the cause of the accident.
“I am a close friend of the family, and I am deeply pained. We need to establish the truth about what really transpired, leading to the deaths of five children and injury and hospitalisation of one victim with a broken leg and hand. Those who can assist, please do so inorder for her to receive proper treatment,” she said.
The burial of the three children faced delays due to difficulties encountered while digging the graves.
“As per custom, we should bury people in a timely manner. Of the five children, only two were buried yesterday, even though we wanted to bury them all at the same day and time.
“We encountered a glitch; the ground was dry, and there was no water, which delayed our ability to finish digging the graves. After employing the services of a machine, it also broke down, and the replacement took time. Once the replacement arrived, we only managed to dig two graves.
“Tradition does not permit open graves to remain unused, which is why two children were buried yesterday, and the remaining three were buried today,” Tinashe Chitate told NewZimbabwe.com.
