HARARE – Friends and relatives gathered weekend to bury Ashley Musendekwa, the 17-year-old St George’s College deputy head boy who died after crashing his car in a tragic road accident along Harare Drive in Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday.

A sombre atmosphere enveloped Revelations United Methodist Church, venue for the send-off ceremony of what was a promising Upper six student.

The teenager was a skilled athlete who was also a passionate Arsenal fan and a dreamer.

However, Musendekwa had one flaw; he loved speeding when he went behind the wheel, a habit that would lead to his tragic loss.

On the day of the accident, Musendekwa had just finished writing his final Cambridge A-Level Computer Science examination.

The tragedy could have been a result of his high-spirited mood after the educational feat.

In a playful and somewhat prophetic incident, a friend to the late student leader, perhaps wanting to immortalise the celebratory moment, asked Ashley to say his last words in a recorded video and Musekiwa said, “You’ll really appreciate something when it’s gone.”

Musendekwa’s Red KIA light SUV vehicle collided head-on with a 5-tonne Koala Park Abattoir truck along Harare Drive in Mt Pleasant.

He died on the spot while the truck driver sustained two broken legs and was admitted to Parirenyatwa Hospital.

Eyewitnesses said Musendekwa was racing with a friend, moments before the horrific incident.

“Surely, I apologise for not warning him about his driving because he would tell me to get out.

“I always thought he had it under control,” said Samuel, his younger brother Samuel, in a tearful eulogy during the ceremony.

His death sent shockwaves through the St. George’s College community and beyond.

Also speaking at the ceremony, school head boy, Mufaro Mashoko, described Musendekwa as a brother and a friend who had a profound impact on his own life.

“My brother was going to impact this world in a way no one could ever imagine,” Mashoko said.

“He always used to say hard work beats talent, stay focused and keep your head down.

“Together we took the college to greater heights and set out plans for the future.

“Your legacy lives on Ashwell (Ashley) and we will carry it on our chests.”

Musendekwa’s death is a sad reminder of the dangers of speeding and reckless driving on Zimbabwean roads.

According to the World of Statistics, 41 per every 100,000 people die of road traffic injuries in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) April’s Statistics revealed that 8,897 people died in traffic accidents between 2019 and 2022.