BEITBRIDGE – A woman was killed at the Beitbridge border post on Wednesday night after being runover by a Swiss Express bus.
The bus travelling from Bulawayo to Johannesburg had parked on the Zimbabwe side of the border to allow passengers to complete passport formalities when it suddenly rolled forward at around 7.30PM, a witness said.
The bus ran over and dragged a security guard who was manning the boom-gate with its rear wheels before coming to a stop after also colliding with a shade made of concrete.
The accident victim was alive for several minutes but people watched helplessly until she died, with no emergency services in sight.
A passenger who was travelling on the bus said: “There was a driver and one male elderly passenger on the bus at the time as everyone had disembarked to get their passports stamped.
“It’s difficult to understand what happened next, some said the bus has complicated air brakes which failed, while others suspected the driver forgot to apply the handbrake and either slept or took his foot off the brake pedal causing the bus to roll forward.
“I’m leaning on driver error because the bus was drivable when an officer from the Vehicle Inspection Department moved it from the boom gate.”
A recovery truck was used to lift the rear of the bus to allow police to recover the body of the victim.
The Swiss Express passengers were later put on buses from other companies to continue their onward journey.
The bus was impounded by the VID for further investigations.
Swiss Express, a favourite with travellers because of its customer service and new buses, is owned by Johannesburg-based Zimbabwean entrepreneur Qhubani Moyo.
