DRIVING along Borrowdale Road in Harare must be quite an experience.
It is the road used by the who-is-who of our society whose driving cannot be equalled to what we see along roads leading to the ghettos
From Harare, it starts at the intersection of Nelson Mandela and Seventh Street, stretching to Josiah Tongogara Avenue, feeding into Chancellor Drive then Borrowdale Road, which later becomes Domboshava Road as one heads towards Hatcliffe.
From the city centre, it passes through Gunhill to the right and Alexandra Park to the left, then Ballantyne Park to the right, Sam Levy’s Village and Village Walk, then Vainona to the left, then Borrowdale, crosses Harare Drive and heads for Helensvale and then Philadelphia before licking a bit of Hogerty Hill as it turns into Domboshava Road.
In the ghetto, it is common to see drivers going against traffic, or witness motorists shouting on top of their voices.
Road rage is common sight, so are motorists using tree branches as substitutes for red reflective triangles when their vehicles break down.
More often, in the ghetto, the breakdowns will be as a result of fuel having run out.
But along Borrowdale Road, you come across posh cars, the latest of models one can find around the world, symbols of wealth.
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And obviously one motorist cannot be reckless along a road used by Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, several securocrats, ministers, their deputies, company executives.
The cost of two tyres of the V8- or V12-engined cars could buy a Honda Fit or Toyota Belta.
Despite that they have comprehensive insurance cover, ramming into one of those is like surrendering the registration book of their vehicle.
Imagine ramming into such big toys driving around a brigadier general, a top company executive or a top lawyer who can be highly litigious and can sue you to the last cent.
Along Borrowdale Road, common sense is at its peak.
In a split of a second, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s escort will be flashing at you to quickly give way.
Even Chiwenga is a regular on that road.
But despite being quite careful on that road, it seems it has a way of claiming the lives of celebrities.
On November 8, 2020, Zimbabweans woke up to news that socialite Genius “Ginimbi” Kadungure had died together with video vixen Michelle “Moana” Amuli in an accident at the intersection of Borrowdale Road and Rayden Drive.
His funeral was covered by many online news sites amid drama and controversies.
Two foreign nationals Limumba Karim and Alicia Adams also lost their lives in the accident.
They died after Ginimbi’s Rolls-Royce Wraith collided head-on with a Honda Fit.
Four years earlier in September 2016, socialite Belinda Tafadzwa Mutinhiri, the eldest daughter of then Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs minister Ambrose Mutinhiri, a retired Brigadier-General and former Zanu PF MP Tracy Mutinhiri, died in a car crash.
Belinda, who worked at the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, was reported to have been killed in the accident which occurred along the Borrowdale Road.
Hours earlier, she had posted that she was having cocktails at a joint at Fife Avenue shops “with Glo Diamond, Farayi Madzime and Nyasha Yvette Chitambo”.
Last July, a lady identified as Coleen Jimu, popularly known as Chido Kay, lost her life at the intersection of Borrowdale Road and Gunhill Avenue after losing control of her Volvo vehicle and ramming into a giant eucalyptus tree.
The impact was so severe that the engine was found 20 metres away from the wreckage, with the vehicle extensively damaged.
On May 11, well-known golfer Morton Kombai lost his life at the intersection of Samora Avenue and Seventh Street.
The most recent accident was the one which claimed the life of popular karateka, Sensei Mugo.
Born Mugove Muhambi, Mugo died three weeks ago near the gate of St George’s College along Borrowdale Road when his Honda Fit vehicle encroached on the lane of a Toyota Hilux GD-6.
The Honda Fit was reduced to a heap of metal and plastic, with the engine coughed out and falling a few metres away.
The Hilux was forced to lie on its back.
The identity of the driver or occupants, if any, was not made public and their health status have also remained unknown.
All these accidents happened in the morning, which suggest speeding might have contributed.
There is also the issue of fatigue, with another version claiming the drivers of the vehicles could have been intoxicated.
Of the three accidents, two (that of Mugo and Kombai) drew the attention of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture minister Anselem Sanyatwe.
Sanyatwe, a retired Lieutenant-General, had to leave office to visit those who were in hospital, condole with the families of the deceased.
He even went to bid farewell to Mugo in Epworth.
This gesture won him the hearts of many as evidenced by messages post by Zimbabweans on different social media platforms.
Many expressed their love for the retired soldier, who was sworn in as minister in March this year.
Instead of calling him chief mourner, like what they do to people who goes to funeral more often, they drew parallels with his predecessor, Kirsty Coventry.
Now, Coventry head the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after being elected into the office in March this year.
Speaking to NewsDay Weekender, Norman, a motorist who regularly uses Borrowdale Road, said accidents do happen along the stretch of the road, but the above-mentioned became known because they were fatal and the people who died were well-known.
“I use this road regularly. Accidents do happen, but with regards these accidents you are talking about, it’s only that well-known individuals died,” Norman said.
Speaking after the accident that claimed Muhambi’s life, national police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi urged all stakeholders to promote road safety to avoid loss of life.
“This is a call for all relevant stakeholders to promote road safety, as careful driving is essential in preventing such tragedies,” Nyathi said.
In its driver improvement programme handbook known as the defensive driver’s course, the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe urges motorists to desist from driving under the influence of alcohol or substances or when they feel fatigue is catching up with them.
Many other accidents have occurred along the road.
But as days wear on, motorists — socialites or not — should be wary that they may lose their lives on the road.
