EX-BOSSO CAPTAIN’S DAUGHTER FOUND DEAD
Byo kombis at war over routes
FORMER Highlanders captain and How Mine assistant coach Bekithemba Ndlovu’s daughter, Nokuthaba, has been found dead after she went missing for almost a week and the family suspects foul play.
Nokuthaba (16) who was doing Form Two at Premier High School in Pumula, went missing on Friday last week after she left her aunt’s home in the city centre to escort a friend at about 6PM.
Although reports indicate that Nokuthaba died after being run over by two vehicles at a zebra crossing point near Eveline Girls’ High School along Leopold Takawira Avenue, a woman and two teenage boys who were allegedly the last to be seen with her have apparently gone into hiding after failing to give the police satisfactory answers.
Ndlovu declined to name the three but said a fourth person; a girl was giving conflicting statements.
On Thursday, police said they were investigating a case where an unknown teenage girl was hit by a car while crossing Leopold Takawira Avenue, opposite Centenary Park on May 5 — the day Nokuthaba disappeared.
Bulawayo provincial deputy public relations officer Assistant Inspector Abednico Ncube said the body was at UBH and appealed to people with information that could assist with the identification of the body to visit any police station.
“The deceased person is about 16 years of age, 1,55m tall, medium built and light in complexion. She was wearing a black skin tight, blue denim bum shorts, a red striped top and black sandals,” said Asst Insp Ncube.
Ndlovu said his world came crashing when a neighbour who works at UBH mortuary told him on Thursday that he had seen his daughter’s body in the morgue.
Ndlovu yesterday said he was devastated when he discovered that, indeed, his daughter was dead after searching for her for almost a week.
“I was not at home when she left but she asked her mother for permission to go to her aunt who stays in the city centre. She went with her friend and later left the house to see her friend out at about 6PM. Her aunt got worried when she was not back at 8PM.
“She called home and informed us that Nokuthaba was not yet back. We immediately launched a search and made a report at Tshabalala Police Station on the next day,” said Ndlovu.
He said a taxi driver who ran over Nokuthaba told him that the teenage girl died on admission at UBH.
“According to the first driver, he tried to remove Nokuthaba from the road after running over her. While moving her with assistance from a pedestrian, a speeding car suddenly appeared and ran over her, sending the two men scurrying for cover.
“She sustained serious injuries on the hip, legs and ribs and according to these people she died on admission at the hospital,” said Ndlovu.
He said a security guard at the flat where Nokuthaba’s aunt stays said she left the building with two boys and her friend.
“The security guard at the flat told us that Nokuthaba left with three friends, two males and a female. I’m still trying to understand why her friends are still not willing to give information on what happened to my daughter.
“I spent the past week with police officers searching for my daughter while these people including the mother of one of the boys refused to talk to me. I took it as a case of kidnapping and never suspected that my girl could be dead,” said a visibly shaken Ndlovu.
He said the woman escaped twice when police approached her for questioning while the two boys went into hiding.
“At one point the woman jumped over a precast wall and ran away from the police. I suspect they know what happened to my daughter.
“The woman and these teenagers are part of a WhatsApp chat group where they discussed the death of my daughter. They were saying general things regarding her death.
“I asked one of them to secretly add me to the group. When they discovered that it was me they started opting out of the group,” said Ndlovu. — @pamelashuma1 PUBLIC transporters have blasted the Bulawayo City Council for allegedly favouring the Bulawayo’s Public Transporters Association (Bupta) in allocating routes under the city’s newly formulated public transport policy.
The dispute is threatening the May 24 launch of the policy that also seeks to eliminate individual ownership of kombis in the city. Under the policy, stakeholders have proposed to charge school children and college students half fare.
Transporters will have to join one of three associations - Bupta, Tshova Mubaiwa Co-operative (TMC) or Bulawayo City Transit Trust (BCTT). Each of the operators was allocated specific routes to avoid speeding and fighting for customers.
At a pre-launch of the policy held at the Small City Hall on Thursday, Acting Deputy Director of Engineering Services Mr Wisdom Siziba said BCTT kombis will operate between Nkulumane 10 and Pumula South linkages starting from this month-end while Bupta kombis will operate from Matopos Road in an anti clock-wise direction to Hyde Park Road.
Mr Siziba said Tshova Mubaiwa kombis will operate in Matopos Road in a clockwise direction to Nkulumane 10/ Mqamulazwe road linkages.
However, chairperson of Tshova Mubaiwa Mr Samson Mabunde complained that their company was given a small area to operate where there are fewer customers compared to Bupta which was given more routes.
“This is not fair. We are given a small place to operate compared to other companies. The worse part of it is that there are no customers in Matopos Road. Our kombis will be only allowed to carry people in Mganwini, Nkulumane 5, Tshabalala and Nketa 9 suburb,” said Mr Mabunde.
“Tshova Mubaiwa has got a lot of kombis and we are growing everyday. As l`m talking now there are individuals queuing outside our offices in order to join us. With this small area we are given, that means other kombis will spend a day without getting a chance to carry passengers. I am not happy with this policy and the city council must do something about it.”
Mr Mabunde told The Chronicle that they will not charge half fares for pupils because it will cost them.
“There are students who are 50 years old and then they expect us to charge them half fare. Police are always on the road asking for money. This will cost us,” he said.
BCTT director of operations Mr Mlisa Sibanda said they will negotiate with the council so that they can give them more routes.
He said their kombis will be carrying people only in Nkulumane 12 and Pumula South suburb.
Mr Sibanda said their company is planning to transport school pupils for 50 cents per head from their respective place to school or vice versa.
Bupta director of legal affairs Mr Morgan Msipha told The Chronicle that he was very happy with the routes that they were given.
“Our company is not complaining about the transport policy because we will be carrying customers in suburbs including Burnside, Waterford, Richmond, Mahatshula, Queens Park, Sauerstown, Trenance, Barbourfields, Cowdray Park, Magwegwe, Old Pumula, Gwabalanda up to Hyde Park road,” he said.
“We are working on the issue of uniforms for our employees and we are hoping that by this month-end we will be wearing uniforms. We are also looking forward to engaging Nust on the bus fare issue. We will talk with students’ representatives so that we agree how much they want us to charge them from Nust to the Large City Hall.” BCC senior public relations officer Mrs Nesisa Mpofu said Bupta and Tshova Mubaiwa met and allocated each other the areas where they wished to operate but they have a meeting scheduled for May 16 concerning the transport policy. “After the approval of the public transport policy by the city council, Tshova Mubaiwa and Bupta met and allocated each other the areas where they wished to operate. They supplied this information to the council. The discussion about the routes was between the two operators and did not involve the council,” she said. — @ cynthiamthembo1