The family of a Zimbabwean truck driver, Alois Ncube, 50, who mysteriously died in Zambia after being hijacked has pleaded with authorities to properly investigate his death after reports suggested that he was forced to drink poison.
Zambian media reported that Ncube was arrested while attempting to commit suicide. He was admitted at Kitwe Teaching Hospital (KTH) under police guard and he later passed on.
Ncube was allegedly hijacked while on his way from the DRC to South Africa.
He was employed by Whelson Transport for 15 years.
The incident has since been reported in Zambian media but the family is not satisfied that Ncube would attempt to commit suicide, they want to know the real circumstances which led to his death.
The family members were barred from entering the late driver’s work premises.
Efforts to get a comment from officials at Whelson Transport were not successful.
“Wait outside, no one is allowed inside,” said an official, who was manning the gates, at the premises.
The late driver’s son, Norman, said they simply wanted some answers to help them understand events surrounding the tragedy.
“We have been advised that the body will be in Zimbabwe on Tuesday, after we insisted on knowing where his body was,” he said.
“So, we will wait until Tuesday but we want to know what exactly happened. We were told he was robbed in Zambia, while he was transporting copper. They only told us that our father was robbed and we approached the authorities who told us he was taken to hospital, under police guard, since he was also under investigation.”
He said there were too many questions which needed answers.
“What is surprising us is that the trucks have video trackers, but they don’t want to show us the videos,” said Norman.
“The drivers travel in a convoy and they were three on the day in question. Some of the drivers are saying my father stopped in the Chambishi area and if you stop for five minutes, they (officials at the office) call you. But, this time, the truck was driven off-road but no tracker showed anything.
“Then, the other drivers tried to track him until they got to a bushy area and, upon their arrival, the hijackers fled from the scene.
“It is said, my father was part of the syndicate, he was found on the road attempting to commit suicide. My father has left a big family.
“We appreciate that the company has been coming to keep us informed but the information we want is not being provided.
“We are just in darkness, we are not familiar with the law; we might think we are doing it properly yet doing the wrong thing.”
An audio recording appears to shed some light on the incident.
“We were told that his truck had stopped for an hour at Chambishi, before the company informed other drivers to go and check since they had assumed he was having problems.
Read also: Truck driver hijacked and choked by hitch-hikers he gave a lift to in Mpumalanga
“When they went back, the truck had changed route. They found the truck parked and hijackers loading the copper into their truck, but they immediately disappeared.
“He was then found the next day, holding a rope which was used to tie his hands and legs.
“It is said they forced him to drink poison, and he later died in hospital.
“We wanted to know if he talked to someone after the incident, and the company should provide information using the trackers.
“Why would someone want to kill himself, yet he spent a day and night tied up; he could have escaped if he was part of the deal.”
