Minibus taxi crashes head on with truck leaving 22 dead; accident occurred along Byo-Beitbridge road

By Associated Press

HARARE: A minibus taxi crashed head on with a truck in southwestern Zimbabwe, killing 22 people, police said Wednesday.

Two others were injured and taken to a hospital after the accident on Tuesday night, police spokesman Paul Nyathi said.

The accident occurred on a highway linking the country’s second-largest city, Bulawayo, with Beitbridge, a town bordering neighbouring South Africa, Nyathi said in a statement.

Many people in Zimbabwe, a country of 15 million whose economy has been battered by a years long currency crisis and high inflation, frequently travel to South Africa to buy goods for resale or personal use. Many also travel to visit family or for work.

Road accidents are common in Zimbabwe, where some drivers overload their vehicles and exceed the speed limit. The poor condition of Zimbabwe’s roads has also been blamed for contributing to crashes, despite government efforts to pave some major highways in recent years.

1/2 The ZRP reports a fatal road traffic accident which occurred on 14/11/23 at around 2200 hours at the 27 kilometre peg along Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road near Thandweni Store in which 22 people were killed whilst two others were injured

— Zimbabwe Republic Police (@PoliceZimbabwe) November 15, 2023