The sole survivor of a tragic accident on Sunday, where a Honda Fit crashed into an old mine pit filled with water along the Zvishavane-Shurugwi Road, is urging President Emmerson Mnangagwa to ensure stricter enforcement of laws to prevent similar incidents.
Twenty-five-year-old Calton Panashe Munyimi, who lost his pregnant wife in the accident, is calling for urgent measures to address the dangerous mine pits. The couple had just boarded the vehicle at Musasa Bus Stop near the Zvishavane-Shurugwi and Mandamabwe-Shurugwi junction when the car veered off the road, plunging into a 30-meter deep mine pit.
Munyimi was the only one who survived out of the five passengers. The accident occurred a few kilometers away from President Mnangagwa’s rural home.
Munyimi and his wife, Hazel Funhiro, were returning from an Apostolic church service and heading home to Ritfontein, about 21 km away, when the tragic event unfolded. Munyimi said the presence of the open mine pit was a major factor in the severity of the accident, reducing the chances of survival.
He pleaded with the Ministry of Mines to take action, stating: “Without this open pit, we could have had a better chance of surviving. The car went 30 meters under water, and if you survived the crash, the next challenge was to escape the water. I urge the authorities to fill these pits. Cattle and goats are also drowning.”
The survivor described the driver as speeding at 160 km/h with loud music playing, and no one was able to stop the fast driving.
Munyimi’s wife, Hazel, was buried on Thursday, and he is deeply concerned about the many other fatalities caused by these dangerous pits. He expressed frustration over the fact that while mining is not allowed in the area, the old pits remain a hidden danger. Munyimi added: “We’ve lost many children who were herding cattle, and today it’s my family. I feel the pain deeply.”
He urgently appealed to the President, asking: “Dear President, please attend to this issue before more lives are lost while you are in Harare.”
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