Source: Mystery shrouds Mugabe accident – DailyNews Live
Fungi Kwaramba 21 July 2017
HARARE – Mystery surrounds the car which was involved in a horrific
accident with a biker who was leading President Robert Mugabe’s motorcade
last Saturday.
On Saturday, one of the bikers leading the motorcade was involved in a
crash with an Isuzu truck near the One Commando military base along
Airport Road as Mugabe was making his way from the Harare International
Airport upon his return from a medical visit in Singapore.
The biker suffered multiple injuries and was admitted to hospital.
Before that had happened, Mugabe’s wife, Grace, had been injured at the
airport in a freak accident that occurred when the presidential chauffeur
moved the car before the First Lady had been fully onboard.
The Daily News can report that in the case of the biker’s accident,
nothing is known about the driver of the Isuzu truck, nor the owner
despite the mysterious car having a registration, AAX 3166, whose search
at the Central Vehicle Registry last week presented more questions than
answers.
Despite having a number plate, the Isuzu did not exist in the registration
books, further adding curiosity to ownership and authenticity of the
registration number displayed by the car.
Police refused to comment, insisting that the investigative officer who
attended the scene would be the best person to handle our enquiries.
It was not clear who had attended the scene of the accident as it happened
on the borders of Hatfield, Cranborne and Braeside police stations.
Authorities have zero tolerance for motorists who obstruct or fail to pave
way for the presidential motorcade.
Protocol demands that motorists – including vehicles that may belong to
other security arms not part of the presidential motorcade – pave way for
Mugabe.
In fact, according to the law, it is an offence not to pull from the road
when Mugabe’s speeding motorcade approaches.
Several people have either been fined or jailed for falling foul of the
laws governing Mugabe’s motorcade.
One classical example is of a Victoria Falls man, Trinity Gonongono, who
was jailed 30 years when he failed to make way for the presidential
motorcade.
Last Saturday’s crash was not the first time that Mugabe’s motorcade has
been involved in crashes with motorists.
In May this year, one of Mugabe’s motorcade outriders was left badly
injured in Harare during the evening rush hour, after he crashed into a
motorist while trying to clear traffic for the Zanu PF leader who was on
his way to State House where he was hosting Lesotho king, King Letsie III.
In May last year, Mugabe’s motorcade was involved in a similar accident
when another of the outriders crashed into a commuter omnibus whose driver
was later charged with negligent driving.
And in one of the most horrific crashes to involve the presidential
motorcade in 2012, one of Mugabe’s outriders met a horrific death when his
bike caught fire near Sam Levy village in Borrowdale, Harare.
Traumatised eyewitnesses watched helplessly then as the outrider writhed
on the side of the road in agony, battling for dear life as his motorbike
– which was lying by his side – was consumed by a raging fire, which also
killed him moments later.
This was after some passing motorists had desperately tried to put out the
fire using their fire extinguishers.
Also in 2012, a police lead vehicle sent to clear traffic ahead of the
president’s oncoming convoy, rammed into a commuter minibus carrying 22
passengers.
A male passenger in the minibus died on impact with a police Mercedes,
while 15 other people – including two police officers – were seriously
injured.
On another trip to Zvimba in the same year, the presidential convoy was
also involved in two accidents.
In the first crash, a homeless man was knocked down by a police motorbike
in Harare – with the police outrider and the victim both being
hospitalised, and the homeless man dying later.
And as the president’s convoy left Kutama on the return journey, an
open-top army Land Cruiser carrying members of the presidential guard
burst a tyre and overturned – killing Jeoffrey Mukotekwa and wounding
several others.
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