HARARE, Feb 20 (NewsDay Live) - THE Insurance Council of Zimbabwe (ICZ) is providing assistance to victims and families of the Beitbridge accident that claimed 25 lives after it emerged that the bus operator involved was not insured.
Seventeen people died on the spot last week while eight others succumbed to injuries on admission to Beitbridge District Hospital after an Urban Connect bus collided with a commercial haulage truck along the Masvingo-Beitbridge Highway on Thursday last week.
The horror was immediately declared a national disaster, paving way for the deceased to receive State-assisted burials.
ICZ said the bus operator was not insured for public passenger liability as required by the Road Traffic Act. This comes at a time when the government has suspended the bus company's operating licence for six months to allow for investigations.
“The ICZ, in liaison with the Department of Civil Protection, shall provide ex-gratia assistance for funeral and medical expenses,” ICZ chief executive Donald Muthe said in a statement.
“ICZ will also make payments to hospitals treating the injured.
“ICZ is providing assistance through ex-gratia payments because the Urban Connect bus did not have the requisite public passenger liability cover for compensation benefits to the victims and their beneficiaries as provided by the Road Traffic Act.”
Muthe said the tragic incident highlights the importance of insurance coverage for public passenger vehicles and the need for strict adherence to road safety regulations.Witnesses blamed the accident on human error.
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