Their deaths must be a wake-up call

THE EDITOR, Madam:

It’s saddening. Seventeen people lost their lives in a horrifying accident on the morning of July 22, 2025 in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe, not because they died on impact, but because help never came in time.

A heavily laden truck lost control and overturned onto oncoming traffic, crushing a small passenger minibus underneath. Eyewitnesses say they could hear voices faint, terrified cries for help coming from under the wreckage for hours. People were alive. People were pleading.

But no help came.

Firefighters arrived but with no equipment strong enough to lift the truck. No crane. No hydraulic tools. Just uniforms and good intentions. Government emergency services were present, but unprepared, under-equipped, and ultimately helpless.

In the end, it wasn’t the government that responded it was a private citizen. A well-wisher sent their own crane to the site. By the time the truck was lifted, it was too late. All 17 passengers had succumbed to injuries, shock, and pain slowly.

This wasn’t just an accident.

This was a failure of the system.

A preventable tragedy made worse by a government that continues to prioritise luxury over life. Millions are being spent on new cars for officials, international trips, and hollow campaigns while emergency response teams can’t even afford basic rescue equipment.

We don’t just mourn the dead today.

We mourn the reality they lived in:

A country where cries for help go unanswered.

Rest in power to the 17 lives lost.

Their pain should not be forgotten.

Their deaths must be a wake-up call.

NEWTON TAPIWA MPOFU

Political activist