Seke Road Accident Victims Might Have Lived If Not For ZiG20 Fare Dispute

A disagreement over a ZiG20 note, worth just US$0.50, may have spared one man’s life but possibly cost 17 others theirs in the tragic Seke Road accident that occurred on Tuesday morning.

It has since emerged that one passenger was forced to disembark from the ill-fated Nissan Caravan kombi just moments before it collided head-on with a haulage truck near the Hunyani River Bridge.

While media personality DJ Ollah 7 initially reported that the man was ordered off the kombi because the US$1 note he offered was too tattered to be accepted, H-Metro has revealed that the passenger, who identified himself as Baba Tiara, had actually offered ZiG20, the equivalent of 50 US cents.

Baba Tiara boarded the kombi at Koala Meats bus stop, located less than 5km from the accident scene.

He said the dispute began when he offered the conductor ZiG20 for his fare, but the driver insisted on receiving US$1.

The two could not reach an agreement, and the driver stopped near the waterworks, just before the Hunyani Bridge, to drop him off.

Had the vehicle not paused to let him out, it is possible the kombi might have avoided crossing paths with the haulage truck altogether.

Speaking to H-Metro on Wednesday, Baba Tiara recalled watching in shock as the crash unfolded just ahead of him.

The kombi he had been riding moments earlier was crushed under the truck, which had veered into oncoming traffic after striking two pedestrians. Said Baba Tiara:

The kombi driver picked me up at Koala and I handed the conductor a 20 ZiG note.

The driver said I was supposed to pay a dollar and we quarreled along the way.

The driver ordered me to get off the kombi at a bus stop before the bridge and I complied.

He was not speeding but the haulage truck driver encroached into his lane and I saw it all and it was so devastating.

I would like to believe that if the driver had not stopped to drop me off he would have missed the haulage truck when it came into his lane.

Ndichirikurwadziwa zvakanyanya uye nekuzvipa mhosva. If I had enough money, maybe the kombi driver could have saved all these souls.

Meanwhile, Harare Central Police Station rank marshal Solomon Swikiro, widely known as Solo, described the late Dhokwani as one of the most disciplined drivers operating on the Charge Office to Chitungwiza route.

Swikiro, who had assigned passengers to Dhokwani’s kombi on the day of the tragic accident, said the driver had built a reputation for professionalism and calm conduct.

Dhokwani was not known for violent behaviour, reckless driving, or alcohol consumption, traits often associated with some kombi operators. Instead, he was regarded as level-headed and safety-conscious.

Swikiro expressed sorrow over the loss, saying Dhokwani’s absence would be deeply felt at the rank.

He also extended condolences to the passengers who perished in the fatal crash, describing the incident as a devastating blow to the commuting community.

More: H-Metro