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Ordinary people doing extra-ordinary things
Gift Konjana
January 31, 2013

From late last year to this period, there has been a spate of accidents varying in magnitude and degree. The majority of which have occurred on the Chakari Road. This road is the only smoothly tarred road in our once lovely Chegutu town. This means that most drivers in this small town find pleasure and joy driving along this road. Even those without a driver-s license find themselves on the road trying it out in their latest auto acquisitions. Most of the drivers and auto-mobile owners in this small town are either new farmers or gold panners popularly referred to as makorokoza (for they are involved in almost everything of which gold panning is their major activity).

The latest of these infamous accidents have claimed the lives and property of three notable residents. One of those killed recently include a man, who was popular in our town. He was a skilled man. He used to repair stoves, irons and refrigerators for the town-s inhabitants, we sadly miss him. The second was a young lady who had just graduated from high school and was just about to start her tertiary education at the UZ. This was the most touching of all. The parents had just raised the fees and had bought her all they could from their meager resources, only to lose their precious gift this violent way.

While another unfortunate widow, who had just spent a fortune in trying to upgrade her house so she could rent it out for survival, woke up one morning to see her house damaged beyond repair and her imagination. When our team got there, she just wept throughout the period, we could not figure out what the house actually looked like from the debris. To add salt to injury when the old lady woke to investigate when she heard the noise, her visitor had disappeared in thin air up to now she does not know how it happened and who did it neither does she know the type of vehicle involved. She is indeed back to square one. The neighborhood is equally flabbergasted.

We can go on and on but then I think the most important and notable thing that we, the Chegutu Community of Life have done is what I think is worthy to take note of, in response to these accidents. We have campaigned and put up posters and flyers in letter boxes and handouts, encouraging the residents to put up humps and deeps on the road leading or passing through their houses. The response has been remarkable, encouraging and overwhelming. Residents have started to put up some humps and deeps on all major and busy roads in the town-s high density suburbs. This has made it very safe for our loved ones in the town, once more.

However we have faced stiff resistance from the town-s officials whom we had approached and still intend to engage so they may compliment our work by putting up hazard road signs that will warn our motorists and visitors, so they look out for these humps to curb further incidents and accidents. We have also involved the police to put up road blocks in and around the high density where the accidents occurrences have been so high. The police-s response has been swift, which is quite commendable. We are also going to lobby the VID to resume the Learner Driver Provisional Tests in Chegutu again, so that most of these aspiring drivers would be able to get the necessary qualification to operate their auto-mobile machines. Well, Comrades that-s what we are doing here, what about you? Until next time.

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