Police officers and Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID) officials who approved the ill-fated Urban Connect bus at a roadblock before its deadly accident in Beitbridge are now under investigation. Authorities are looking into why the bus was allowed to proceed despite not meeting safety requirements, HeraldOnline has reported.
Following the tragic head-on collision between the Urban Connect bus and a haulage truck on the Beitbridge-Masvingo highway—which claimed 28 lives—Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona suspended the bus operator’s licence for six months.
The suspension stemmed from multiple violations, including the absence of a valid passenger insurance policy and route permit, as well as the driver’s failure to meet the mandatory re-test requirement.
Addressing concerns from legislators about unroadworthy buses passing through roadblocks unchecked, Minister Mhona emphasized that authorities manning roadblocks will now be held responsible for any negligence. He stated:
“It is deeply concerning that we have officials stationed at roadblocks, yet such incidents still occur. I have engaged my counterpart, the Minister of Home Affairs, to ensure that police and VID officers will be held accountable if they allow buses to proceed and those buses later end up in accidents.”
The Urban Connect bus, carrying 65 passengers, collided head-on with an Auro Transport haulage truck near Lutumba Toll Gate at around 8 AM on Thursday, February 13. The crash happened as the bus attempted to overtake another vehicle while en route from Harare to Beitbridge, with the truck traveling in the opposite direction.
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