Bulawayo Man’s Head Crushed in Crash Caused by Potholes

A Bulawayo man died instantly when a vehicle he was driving landed on his head and crushed it after he swerved to avoid a pothole.

Blessing Mudekwe (26) from Mzilikazi suburb was thrown out of the Iveco vehicle as it rolled along Masiyephambili Drive near Lobengula suburb and landed on his head.

The freak accident occurred around 4PM on Sunday.

Mudekwe’s brain was left splattered on the roadside and his family cleaned it up yesterday.

A family source said Mudekwe had three friends on board the vehicle.

“One of his friends is admitted to Mpilo Central Hospital while the other two were discharged with minor bruises,” said the source.

Following the accident, word spread on social media that Mudekwe had been decapitated.

“I didn’t see his head. I thought it was chopped off,” said one of his friends.

The Chronicle yesterday caught up with Mudekwe’s family who expressed shock at the accident.

They however, dismissed the decapitation story saying his head was crushed to the extent that it could be assumed that it had been separated from the body.

“I think it was shock that led his friends to think that his head had been chopped off. It wasn’t removed but was flattened as the car landed on his face. He became unrecognisable but we have identified him. He had a deep cut on his arm but the rest of the body is still intact,” said Mrs Sitshengisiwe Dube, the family’s spokesperson.

She blamed the accident on potholes that litter the city’s roads.

“He swerved while trying to avoid a pothole only to land on other potholes. This resulted in him failing to control the car. He hit a street light pole and was thrown out of the vehicle on impact.

“Unfortunately, the vehicle landed on his head crushing it. We have identified him and today we went to the accident scene to sweep and gather bits of his brain that were scattered at the accident site,” said Mrs Dube.

She said this was not the first time Mudekwe was involved in an accident due to potholes.

She said recently Mudekwe and a friend were nearly hit by a car whose driver had lost control due to potholes.

“We can’t continue to lose lives because of potholes. Right now a young life has been lost due to the potholes. The council and Government should act on this,” she said.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango confirmed the accident saying Mudekwe’s body was taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) for post mortem.

“We also urge motorists to be cautious on the roads. With the rains we’re experiencing the roads have become slippery and the depth of some potholes may not be easy to see as they might be filled with water,” said Insp Simango.

Bulawayo Town Clerk Mr Christopher Dube said the council will not shoulder the blame for the accident saying drivers should drive cautiously as it was common knowledge that roads were potholed.

Mr Dube said for council to improve on service delivery, residents should pay their bills.

Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent