Robotics toast for Manicaland
◆ the tragedy.
Mr Gift Maponde, whose only two children had just disembarked from a kombi and were a few metres away from their home, wept uncontrollably as relatives and neighbours tried in vain to console and comfort him.
A sombre atmosphere engulfed his entire homestead, with everyone’s heads bowed.
Tears drowned the parents and other mourners’ eyes.
Mourners shook their heads in disbelief, with pain and anger written all over their faces. After all, the tragedy could have been avoided had somebody exercised caution on the road, they said.
“My children, Silvian and Strive were hit by the car and died on the spot. They are gone. They had just disembarked from a kombi on their way home.
“Even though I arrived a few moments after the accident, I saw the driver; he was visibly drunk. It happened around 3pm since I had come from where I am employed as a security guard.
“This is so devastating. I cannot believe that I no longer have any children. They were all taken in the blink of an eye. This is so difficult to comprehend and adapt to. I am in extreme pain, and whoever did this must pay for his sins,” said Mr Maponde.
A visibly excruciated Ms Janet Ziyadhuma, the mother of Blessing Chisari said: “When
I arrived at the scene, I saw my child lying in a bush by the roadside. The father accompanied the child to hospital where he was pronounced dead. The car belongs to Dumbura, and the driver was visibly drunk,” she said.
Mrs Primrose Masiiyiwa, who witnessed the accident, said: “I was coming from fetching water and saw these kids checking both sides of the road before crossing.
“Everything happened so fast and the next thing I heard was a loud crashing sound. When I rushed to check what had happened, I realised that the kids had been knocked down by the car and were lying in a bush by the roadside. I could have been hit by the same car if I had crossed at the same time with the kids. This was a painful experience.”
Another witness, Mr Malvin Makoni said: “I was seated at the nearby tuckshops when I heard a crashing sound. When I turned my head to see what had happened, the vehicle had turned, facing the direction it was coming from.
“People rushed to the accident scene and I also joined them. When I got there the deceased children were already being loaded into a vehicle, but one thing for sure the driver was visibly drunk.”
Dumbura, who was told to go home and have a rest by his father soon after the accident, is understood to have attended the funeral. The three children were still to be buried at the time of going to Press yesterday.
◆ you need the help of others. Even though we received the kit late, we managed to achieve our goals as a result of team work. We applied different minds and ideas to form a robot which moved, and we won as a result,” she said.
Another learner, Zoe Chibune (16), of Tynwald High School said they won despite being the only African team in the competition.
“We enjoyed the experience that brought learners from various backgrounds together. I encourage Zimbabweans to embrace robotics, love and enjoy the learning process, and who knows we might have the next Mark Zuckerbag from home soil. It is an inevitable thing with technology,” she said.
Tinotenda Nyoni (18) said taking part in the First Tech challenge was a privilege that she will forever cherish.
“I would like to encourage others to have realistic expectations whenever going for competitions. Success is hinged on the effort one invests in the project,” she said.