There’s growing outrage among truck drivers after yet another crash on the Harare–Beitbridge highway claimed the life of a trucker early Saturday morning. The fatal incident occurred at Chaka when a driver reportedly hit newly constructed but unmarked speed bumps at high speed.
According to witnesses, the trucker couldn’t see the speed bumps in the dark and lost control after hitting them. The vehicle veered off the road, collided with a stationary bus, and ploughed through several roadside shops before crossing back onto the highway.
The impact was so severe that the driver was ejected from the cab and tragically died at the scene.
The unmarked bumps, which were recently built, have already caused several incidents in the past week.
Just days earlier, another truck carrying an abnormal load lost its cargo after striking the same humps at speed. In that case, the driver was fortunate enough to maintain control of his rig and escape injury.
Truckers have since taken to social media, slamming authorities for what they call a “death trap” on one of the region’s busiest freight routes.
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Many say the bumps were erected without proper signage or reflective paint, making them nearly invisible at night.
SA Trucker is urging all drivers travelling between Harare and Beitbridge to exercise extreme caution when approaching Chaka, especially during night-time runs.
Efforts to get official comment from Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Transport were unsuccessful at the time of publishing.
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