30-tonne truck in freak accident This haulage truck transporting 30 tonnes of maize meal failed to ascend a steep slope and rolled back before landing on its side, blocking the Binga–Kamativi road on Thursday
This haulage truck transporting 30 tonnes of maize meal failed to ascend a steep slope and rolled back before landing on its side, blocking the Binga–Kamativi road on Thursday

This haulage truck transporting 30 tonnes of maize meal failed to ascend a steep slope and rolled back before landing on its side, blocking the Binga–Kamativi road on Thursday

Whinsley Masara/ Nokuthula Mavuwa, Chronicle Reporters
A HAULAGE truck transporting a 30-tonne Grain Marketing Board (GMB) consignment from Bulawayo to Binga failed to ascend a steep slope and rolled back before landing on its side, blocking the Binga–Kamativi road.

The truck was delivering 30 tonnes of a mealie- meal from Bulawayo to its depot in Binga when the accident occurred at the 28KM Bridge along Binga-Kamativi Road at around 11AM on Thursday.

Matabeleland North police spokesperson Inspector Siphiwe Makonese confirmed the accident and said efforts to get a crane to remove the 30 tonne truck were still in progress.

“There has been a disturbance along the Binga–Kamativi Road after a 30-tonne Maizon Petroleum haulage truck failed to ascend a steep slope and rolled back along the Gwayi Bridge. The driver lost control and it landed on its side across the road. Efforts to clear the road are underway as the haulage company is looking for a suitable crane,” she said.

The driver, who was travelling alone, sustained minor injuries and was ferried to an undisclosed hospital in Bulawayo.

GMB corporate communications, officer Mr Joseph Katete, said they were still trying to establish the cause of the accident and clear the road.

He confirmed that the truck was carrying meal-meal.

“A truck carrying a GMB consignment overturned and blocked the Binga-Kamativi Road. Officials are in meetings, hence I haven’t received a full report on what happened and the current situation at the site,” he said.

The MP for Binga South constituency, Mr Gabbuza Gabbuza, said the accident had inconvenienced travellers, among them villagers on their way to a rally which was addressed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa at Nechilibi Secondary School at Cross Mabale yesterday.

gmb truck 2

He said many were forced to make a U-turn and use a longer route to their destination.

“The truck which blocked the whole road needs cranes and a lot of manpower to remove it from the road. Travellers had to quickly seek alternative routes which are longer and more costly,” said the MP.

“People were disappointed because of the untimely delays which also saw their trip becoming even more expensive, which they hadn’t seen coming. Their morale was low as they had long waited to meet the President for the first time.”

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