42 perish as bus explodes into flames

“Government has so far availed $16 000 to assist bereaved families. Each deceased person will be allocated $500 which will only be released after a DNA test to confirm the deceased’s identity.

“As the CPU we have set up a help desk at the Gwanda Provincial Hospital which comprises of various stakeholders such as ZRP, Social Welfare, Local Government, Ministry of Women Affairs, Registry, Ministry of Health and counsellors to help survivors and those who would like to make inquiries,” she said.

Gwanda Provincial Hospital acting medical superintendent, Dr Rutendo Manyati said 13 of the injured were admitted to the hospital while three others, including the bus conductor were transferred to Bulawayo after sustaining serious injuries.

“We received 27 patients that were injured in the inferno some sustained burns while others suffered fractures after jumping out of the bus. Three were transferred to Bulawayoone had over 90 percent body burns while the other two sustained over 70 percent burns. 16 people were admitted while eight were treated and discharged,” she said.

The Chronicle news crew visited Gwanda Provincial Hospital and spoke to some of the survivors, including the bus driver, Mr Ndabezinhle Sikhosana.

Mr Sikhosana who escaped with minor burns said he was on his way to Musina with more than 60 people on board when he smelt a gas like chemical in the bus. He said he slowed down the bus and started inquiring from the conductor where the smell was coming from.

Mr Sikhosana said he then heard an explosion which seemed to have originated from behind his seat and it was followed by a huge flame which engulfed the entire bus.

He said the bus hit a tree and came to a halt and by then it was in flames. “I was overtaking a lorry when I smelt the gas. I then slowed down and minutes later we heard an explosion which originated from somewhere behind my seat and within seconds the whole bus was engulfed in flames. I managed to escape and so did some passengers who went out through the door and windows. Other people remained trapped in the bus and we watched helplessly as they were being devoured by the flames. The flames were enormous and we had to stand afar as we watched in disbelief.

Mr Sikhosana said the bus did not have a fault that he was aware of. He said he did not know if any of the passengers had brought a gas cylinder on board as the luggage was the responsibility of conductors.

Another survivor, Mrs Ntombizodwa Ndlovu who sustained bruises from jumping out of the bus said she saw the flame coming from the front of the bus and escaped through a window. She said she was on her way from Zvishavane to Musina to buy some groceries.

Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs Minister Cde Abednico Ncube visited the survivors at the hospital yesterday morning. He sent condolences to the bereaved families.

In Bulawayo, the Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Obadiah Moyo yesterday also visited the three accident victims, two women and a man who are admitted to the United Bulawayo Hospitals.

Dr Moyo was accompanied by the Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Minister Cde Judith Ncube.

“I have seen the patients who were burnt as a result of the explosion that took place on the bus. The burns are quite severe. I pray and hope they will recover soon. We want to see them recover and go home. The majority of the patients are at Gwanda hospital,” said Dr Moyo.

One of those admitted said she escaped through the window after she realised that the bus had caught fire.

“I was travelling to Musina with my two relatives. As I was sleeping, I felt some heat at my feet and I woke up and checked where the heat was coming from. I saw flames under the seats. By that time the bus was filled with smoke. Everyone was screaming and I jumped through the window,” she said.

The woman said her other two relatives died because no one could rescue them. The other patient said someone pulled her out of the bus. This incident comes a week after 46 people died on the spot when two buses side-swiped in Rusape at the 166-kilometre peg along the Harare-Mutare Highway.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn Express bus company said it was cooperating with investigators and expressed its “heartfelt apologies” to families of the deceased while wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

It said it has communicated with its insurers and is working on assisting the victims while conscious of the fact that lives cannot be replaced.

The company said it is remorseful, deeply shaken and stand with the nation in mourning the loss of life for such a huge number of its passengers and fellow citizens in an explosion it blamed on “a gas canister smuggled by a passenger”.

“Brooklyn Express is a small to medium business with more than ten years of experience plying the Bulawayo, South Africa route. The business grew as a result of people who entrusted their safety in the hands of its trained bus drivers.

“As a law abiding business, we will wait for the official report regarding the accident from the investigating team and are cooperating with the relevant authorities,” the bus company said in a statement.

The company said it would want to thank all those who attended the scene of the accident that included police and medical teams. “In our operations, this accident will serve as a startling reminder to continue to abide and remain committed to high safety standards while trying our best to decrease the scourge of people smuggling gas canisters onto the bus.” — @ DubeMatutu. PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa left for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, yesterday for the 11th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU), where he will join 54 other African Heads of State and Government expected to continue discussions on the institutional reform process of the continental body.

He was seen off at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport by Vice President Kembo Mohadi, Cabinet Ministers, service chiefs and senior Government officials. VP Mohadi is the Acting President. Heads of State and Governments are expected to meet today and tomorrow for the session.

The Permanent Representative Committee (PRC) — made up of permanent representatives from all the 55 member states — met on Monday last week, while the 20th Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council — a successor to the Organisation of African Union’s Council of Ministers — convened on Wednesday.

All member countries participate in the Executive Council usually through their Foreign Ministers.

In a statement on Thursday, the AU’s directorate of information and communication said the Assembly will likely “make decisions and declarations” on outcomes of the Executive Council meeting held earlier in the week. “The Assembly will consider and make decisions and declarations based on the outcomes of the 20th Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council meeting, held from 14 — 15 November 2018,” said the AU.

“Main topics covered by this summit include AU institutional reform, reform of the AU Commission, mandate of the AU Development Agency (AUDA), and financing of the African Union.”

The Assembly is the supreme organ of the African Union and consists of all the 55 Heads of State and Government of the AU.

African leaders intend to revitalise, realign and reform the organs of the AU — the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Pan-African Parliament as well as the Peace and Security Council (PSC) — in order to make them more efficient and impactful.

The mandate of NEPAD (New Partnership for African Development), which is set to be integrated into the AU as a development agency (the African Union Development Agency) will also be examined.

The idea to reform the AU was first broached at the June 2015 AU Summit in Sandton, South Africa, in June 2015 and gained traction the following year when Rwandan President Paul Kagame was tasked to undertake a study on how the reform process could be undertaken.

With the aid of a nine-member advisory panel of experts from across the continent – who include Econet Wireless executive chairperson Mr Strive Masiyiwa and ex-South Africa Reserve Bank Governor and current Finance Minister Mr Tito Mboweni – President Kagame came up with a report that was adopted in January last year.

In essence, the reform programme is envisaged to regenerate the continental body into an institution that can sustainably finance its activities, connect to the AU’s 1,2 billion citizens on the continent and realign the continental bloc to deliver on its priorities.

Progress in implementing some of the key aspects of the reform process has already been made.

The AU has since introduced the women and youth quotas, while the rationalisation of the working methods of the body has been completed.

Working on transitioning the bloc to a financially independent entity is progressing slowly.

Currently, more than 60 percent of the AU’s operational budget is funded by donors.