How Zimbabwe’s old-fashioned roads nearly took my life!

 

Last Friday evening, after attending my wife’s graduation ceremony in Harare, we set out on what should have been a celebratory drive back home in Redcliff along the Harare–Bulawayo highway, only to have that joy quickly turned into a nightmare just outside Kadoma.

The events that unfolded on that stretch of road have left me questioning not only the state of our country’s infrastructure but also the priorities of those charged with ensuring our safety.

I find myself compelled to share my personal ordeal in hopes that it might shine a light on a far graver issue: the reckless neglect of our road network—a relic of a bygone era that is costing lives and livelihoods.

As I navigated the highway, the unexpected became all too real.

A vehicle coming from the Bulawayo direction was in the midst of overtaking another car as they approached a dangerously blind curve.

I recall the split-second moment when, rounding the curve, my eyes caught a harrowing sight: two vehicles, one properly in its lane and the other, aggressively overtaking, headed directly toward my car.

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There, on the same narrow strip of road, was also a commuter minibus (locally known as a kombi) pulling a trailer along the left edge.

In that critical moment, with scarcely any room to maneuver and time measured in fractions of a second, I realized that an accident was inevitable—a collision was not a matter of if, but when.

With no opportunity for thoughtful deliberation, my instincts took over.

I hit the brakes as hard as I could, but the limited distance left me with no option but to steer toward the kombi trailer.

The impact was brutal.

I vividly remember the crunch of metal as my car collided with the back of that trailer with exceptional force.

The front of my vehicle crumpled, the entire bonnet collapsing under the weight of the impact.

In the immediate aftermath, as I sat dazed and in shock, it became clear that my car had suffered immense damage.

Yet, by some divine grace, the kombi trailer escaped any major damage, and, more importantly, both my wife and I emerged physically unscathed despite the violent encounter.

Of course, no one emerges from such an ordeal without a toll beyond the physical.

The psychological and emotional scars from that fateful day remain raw.

Even now, as the shock slowly recedes, the memory of those split seconds of terror continues to haunt me.

Amidst the emotional turmoil and physical devastation of that harrowing accident, I now face yet another daunting challenge: securing the funds needed to repair my severely damaged car.

In a country where most motorists can only afford third-party insurance cover, the financial burden of repairs falls squarely on our own shoulders.

Furthermore, amid the debris of twisted metal and shattered expectations, one truth stands out: our lives were spared by a higher power.

We are profoundly grateful to Almighty Jehovah God, who, through His son, our Lord Jesus Christ, was with us throughout the ordeal, ensuring that the outcome, though severe, did not end in tragedy.

Yet, even as I offer prayers of thanks, a burning question gnaws at me: if only Zimbabwe had modern, multi-lane highways, could this accident have been prevented?

A multi-lane highway is not merely a luxury; it is a design imperative that accommodates safe overtaking, provides sufficient space for error, and minimizes the risk of head-on collisions.

In modern countries around the world, road networks are built with these safety measures in mind—lanes are clearly demarcated, separated by barriers or medians, and constructed with foresight to manage high-speed traffic safely.

Here in Zimbabwe, however, we still rely on roads constructed during the colonial era—roads that have been inadequately upgraded, patched up only superficially, and widened only marginally.

The government boasts about rehabilitating roads by filling potholes and widening the same old single-lane highways, yet this meager effort hardly addresses the underlying risks that a modern highway would inherently mitigate.

Consider the accident on that fateful Friday.

The highway, with its narrow, single-lane design and dangerously blind curves, was an accident waiting to happen.

The driver who attempted to overtake near a blind bend acted recklessly, but his action was exacerbated by a road system that does not allow for safe overtaking.

It is not enough to point fingers at individual drivers for overspeeding or making poor decisions in split seconds.

The state of our roads is an equally culpable factor in the cascade of events that led to my accident.

When a road forces drivers into positions where a collision becomes the only alternative to disaster, it is the road’s design—its very architecture—that must be called into question.

Images of Zimbabwe’s roads abound on social media—stark reminders of neglect and decay.

One need only recall the viral pictures of the Bulawayo–Victoria Falls highway, where enormous potholes resemble ponds or miniature swimming pools.

These are not isolated incidents; they are symptomatic of a national crisis.

According to the latest figures from local road safety authorities, Zimbabwe’s roads have claimed thousands of lives over the past few years, with recent reports indicating that annual fatalities could be as high as 2,400 and tens of thousands of people sustaining serious injuries.

These numbers are not mere statistics; they represent human lives lost and families shattered by preventable tragedies.

Every fatality, every grievously injured survivor, underscores the failure of our infrastructure to meet the basic standards of safety that citizens in modern nations take for granted.

While there is an undeniable need for responsible driving—adherence to road rules and speed limits, abstaining from drunk driving, and ensuring vehicles are roadworthy—the reality is that such measures are only part of the equation.

The responsibility for road safety is shared between drivers and the state of the roads themselves.

When roads are designed with inherent hazards—narrow lanes, blind curves, inadequate signage—the margin for error becomes so minuscule that even the most cautious driver is at risk.

In my case, I was forced to make an instantaneous decision with no safe alternative, and the accident that ensued was not merely a product of driver error but of systemic infrastructural failure.

The question, therefore, is not one of blaming a single driver for a reckless overtaking maneuver, but of holding accountable a government that continues to invest in outdated infrastructure while collecting millions of dollars from motorists.

Recent data reveals that in the past year, the government has amassed approximately US$120 million through toll fees and vehicle licensing fees—a sum that, if redirected or adequately reinvested, could transform the country’s road network.

These funds are being collected from those who use the roads day in and day out, yet the very roads they travel on remain perilously substandard.

It is an irony that is as bitter as it is unjust.

Motorists across Zimbabwe are forced to pay for infrastructure that, in reality, fails to protect them.

The revenue collected is staggering, and it begs the question: where is the accountability?

How can a nation justify spending millions while still subjecting its citizens to the risks of crumbling, outdated roads?

There is a clear and pressing need for a comprehensive overhaul of Zimbabwe’s road network—a transformation that goes beyond superficial repairs and patchwork solutions.

Modern multi-lane highways are not an extravagance; they are a necessity for any country that values the safety and well-being of its people.

In many developed nations, road design incorporates features such as dual carriageways, central medians, and advanced signaling systems that significantly reduce the likelihood of head-on collisions and other catastrophic accidents.

These features are the product of rigorous planning, significant investment, and a commitment to public safety.

Zimbabwe, with its abundant revenue from toll fees and licensing, has the financial means to embark on such transformative projects.

Yet, time and again, political inaction and bureaucratic inefficiency have left our roads in a state of disrepair and obsolescence.

It is not enough for the government to pride itself on incremental improvements—widening roads here, patching potholes there—when the underlying design remains rooted in a bygone era.

The very nature of our road network, with its single-lane stretches and hazardous blind curves, is an invitation to disaster.

The accident I experienced is a stark, personal testament to this reality.

In a matter of one or two seconds, the consequences of our neglected infrastructure were laid bare.

The damage to my car was severe, the trauma profound, and the financial burden now looming as we search for the funds to repair the wreckage.

Had the roads been designed to modern standards—with multiple lanes to accommodate safe overtaking and sufficient space to avoid collisions—the outcome might have been very different.

There is an old adage that prevention is better than cure, and nowhere is this truer than in the realm of road safety.

While driver education, law enforcement, and responsible driving are essential components of reducing accidents, they cannot substitute for the fundamental need for safe infrastructure.

Zimbabweans deserve roads that protect rather than endanger.

The current state of our highways, remnants of a colonial past that have been poorly maintained and inadequately updated, is a national humiliation.

It reflects not only a failure of engineering but also a failure of governance.

The government’s lax attitude toward road safety, despite the steady flow of revenue from tolls and licenses, is a slap in the face to every citizen who trusts that the state will safeguard their journey from point A to point B.

In reflecting on my own experience, I am left with an overwhelming sense of frustration and disillusionment.

I wonder how many more lives must be put at risk before significant action is taken.

Every accident, every life lost, and every family left to pick up the pieces is a stark indictment of a system that has failed its citizens.

The roads, which should be arteries of safe and efficient travel, have become death-traps that choke the promise of progress and prosperity.

In the end, my story is not just about a near-fatal accident on a lonely stretch of highway; it is a call to action.

I remain grateful for the divine intervention that spared my life and that of my wife on that fateful day.

• Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/