Tragic Road Accident Near Gold-Rich Kwekwe Exposes Stark Infrastructure Paradox.
In the shadow of wealth, a road lies worn,
A strip of tarmac, tattered and torn,
Through the heart of gold, to Mnangagwa’s gate,
A path of riches, yet a cruel twist of fate.
Here in this vision, foretold in dread,
Lies a leader, Mnangagwa on the ground, bleeding profusely, no ambulance in sight.
A tragic spectacle, on his own thoroughfare,
A road to his mansion, yet in disrepair.
Beneath the wheels of his gilded ride,
This road he travels, in arrogant stride.
To mines of gold, where billions are sown,
Yet not a penny to mend the path he’s known.
A picture so stark, a future unkind,
A tale of neglect, in wealth’s blind grind. Priorities misplaced, a perilous track, One day, perhaps, to bite fatally back.
In this poetic accident image, a prophecy clear, Of riches and ruin, both held near. A leader, a road, and gold untold, A cautionary tale, in these lines, bold.
By Farai D Hove | In a startling incident on New Years Day, several people narrowly escaped death when a commuter omnibus suffered a tyre burst and overturned approximately 30 kilometers before Kwekwe on the Gweru – Kwekwe highway. The accident, vividly captured in a photograph by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), has brought into sharp focus the paradoxical state of infrastructure in one of Zimbabwe’s most resource-rich areas.
The region, known for its abundant gold deposits, is home to two prominent figures linked to the infamous ‘GoldMafia’ – Emmerson Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe’s President, and Kamlesh Pattni, a controversial businessman implicated in grounding Kenya’s economy in 1993. Despite their significant influence and the wealth generated from the local mines, the road’s dilapidated condition stands in stark contrast to the area’s mineral richness.
This tragedy highlights the irony of the situation. The thinness of the tarmac on a road frequently used by these key figures, including their own access routes to the gold mines, underscores a neglect of basic infrastructure development. Critics point out that the funds required for road maintenance could easily be a fraction of the wealth extracted from these mines, yet the road remains in a perilous state.
The incident raises serious questions about the priorities of the local elite and the governance of natural resource wealth in the country. The fact that such an accident occurred in an area known for its gold mining operations, and in close proximity to the residences of Mnangagwa and Pattni, only adds to the growing concerns over the management of Zimbabwe’s natural resources and the well-being of its citizens.
As the community reels from the shock of this close call, there is a growing clamour for accountability and improved infrastructure to ensure the safety of all who travel these roads. This accident serves as a stark reminder of the often-overlooked consequences of mismanaged resources and the urgent need for responsible governance in resource-rich regions.