The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hwange has concluded its three days of formal mourning for the eight church members who tragically lost their lives last Saturday morning. As the special masses end and the local community processes the shock, the driver involved has been arrested and charged with culpable homicide.
President Mnangagwa has already declared this terrible accident a State of Disaster, meaning the government is assisting the affected families.But for the people of Hwange, the court case and the mourning period are only the beginning. A glaring question remains: What must be done to make Deka Bridge physically safe?
According to the police, the vehicle was carrying 13 passengers returning from an all-night Charismatic Renewal prayer gathering at St. John’s Makwa Mission when it struck the concrete barriers and toppled into the water.
While driver error and overloading are massive problems on our roads, we also have to look closely at the infrastructure itself. Local civic groups like the Greater Hwange Residents Trust have long pointed out that the Deka Bridge is extremely narrow and the surrounding road network is in a poor state.When a vehicle loses control or swerves on a narrow crossing, there must be a modern, strong safety net to prevent a fall. Without proper barriers, any minor road mistake or mechanical failure quickly turns into a fatal disaster.
To protect commuters in the future, local authorities and road departments must look at immediate safety upgrades for Deka Bridge and similar spots in our district.
The legal process for the driver has started, but true justice for the eight lives lost means fixing the broken infrastructure that allowed the tragedy to happen in the first place. Until Deka Bridge is made physically safer, every passenger crossing it remains at risk.
