A grade four pupil went through traumatic experience when she watched both parents drown in Gwamaticha River in Mberengwa after her father’s car was swept away by rising floods.

Masvingo Mirror reported that the incident happened on Thursday last week.

Her father Freedom Chihwayi, a teacher at Vubwe Secondary School was trapped inside his sinking Toyota Noah vehicle as others found their way out.

Moments later, her mother who had just escaped from the vehicle together with other passengers could not stand the idea of leaving the husband to die, she wriggled away from the group that was negotiating its way out of the river and tried to run back.
She was immediately swept away as her 9-year-old daughter watched.

Mberengwa District Education Officer Jameson Machimbira confirmed the incident and said that the tragedy happened last Friday afternoon.

The girl was one of the several people rescued out of her father’s sinking vehicle.
Chihwayi, his wife and their daughter had accompanied a neighbour whose pregnancy was due to hospital. They passed through the same river, in which they drowned, on their way to hospital but did not realise that the water level had risen when they came back.

“The deceased was accompanied by his wife when they took the neighbour’s pregnant wife to hospital which is eight kilometres away. Their little daughters insisted on coming along and they took the elder one and left the other who is still an infant at home,” said Machimbira

The car was swept away just as they tried to cross the river. Chihwayi’s wife, kid and some passengers whom they had given a lift on their way back from hospital managed to get out of the car but the former was trapped inside.

“They tried to rescue Chihwayi who was stuck but failed until the deceased himself told his wife to leave him since he was trapped,” said Machimbira
Chihwayi’s wife, their daughter and the other passengers held hands to cross the river but Chihwayi’s wife could not stand the thought of leaving her husband to die so she turned back and was swept away that minute.

“It is a very tragic incident that involved the death of our teacher. It’s sad that the two also left behind a toddler and a grade 4 pupil,” said Machimbira.local news
Source: Masvingo Mirror