The Sunday News
Munyaradzi Musiiwa, Midlands Correspondent
RELATIVES of the 21 people who were burnt beyond recognition when a South Africa-bound Proliner Bus sideswiped with a haulage truck and caught fire in Chirumanzu early this month have suggested a mass burial for the accident victims.
The suggestion comes as the Government has conceded that results of the DNA tests to determine the identity of the victims were taking long to come out because most of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition. The results were due last week but had not yet been released by yesterday.
Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere said the DNA results were yet to be released.
“The results are not yet out, we will let you know,” he said.
His Permanent Secretary Engineer George Mlilo added that although the Government has not received any written request for mass burial, it was feasible if relatives were supporting the idea.
“I understand the bodies were burnt beyond recognition and it was very difficult to identify the remains. To me mass burial is very feasible because the remains are unidentifiable. It is difficult to even separate the body parts that were recovered from the accident and mass burial will be the only logical thing,” said Eng Mlilo yesterday.
“However, mass burial was last practised during the liberation struggle. I do not know how it will be received by people. I have been out of office for a while, I don’t know if the proposal was put in writing. If it is put in writing and formalised I am sure my office will see how they can deal with it.”
Some of the relatives attended a meeting that was addressed by a Government pathologist in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Tsungai Victor Javangwe at Gweru Provincial Hospital last week where he said Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) tests were conducted by a team of medical experts from police and the ministry. Some relatives said after seeing some of the body parts in the mortuary, they were pushing for a mass burial for their loved ones.
A relative only identified as Michael whose brother Tawanda, who was part of the bus crew, died in the accident, suggested that there should be a mass burial for the accident victims as it was difficult to identify the bodies. Michael added that some of the remains taken for DNA were “too small and unidentifiable”.
“We have all seen the state of the remains in the mortuary. It is more prudent for you (Government) to have a mass burial for our relatives because we cannot take those small fragments of body parts and bury them separately. If they have a mass burial we will remember them by visiting the site and it will also serve as a symbol for motorists to always abide by road rules and regulations,” he said.
Another relative, Mr Douglas Chakona said the Government should bury their relatives in a mass grave close to the accident scene because the identification process was taking long and that the remains were too small.
“We got in and saw the remains of our relatives and from the look of things the remains are very difficult to identify such that it’s going to be a long process. The general sentiment among people and the bereaved families is that the victims could just be buried in one mass grave at a place which is close to the accident scene. What is going to happen is that we are going to get a small piece of a bone to go and bury separately at home,” he said.
The accident occurred at Nyamatikiti River near Chaka Business Centre at the 218km peg along the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge highway. Most of the passengers were trapped in the burning bus for hours while rescue workers were failing to douse the flame. Police described the accident as the worst ever on the country’s roads.
