Precious  Shoko, a passenger reported to have been among those who died in a bus accident in South Africa on Monday, has described her survival as a miracle. Ms Shoko, a Luanshy abased business woman who frequently travels to South Africa, disembarked at Beit Bridge in Zimbabwe to attend her sister’s funeral but her name was mistakenly included among those who had died. The accident survivor, who broke down during a telephone interview yesterday, said she survived by God’s grace. She said she feels she could have died if she had not left the bus at Beit Bridge.

“A week before travelling, my 14-year-old son told me that he had a dream that I had died. I brushed him aside and advised him to keep praying for me,” she said. Ms Shoko said although she has been on several business trips to South Africa, Monday’s journey was different because everyone on the bus interacted freely and shared food.

“Everyone on that bus was very jovial. It was like we had all met before. Everyone shared food despite being strangers and the customer service was also very good,” she said. She recalls sitting next to a woman called Gift who she exchanged contacts with and the two agreed to meet once they returned to Zambia.

Ms Shoko said she now has to deal with the fear of knowing that her new-found friend might have been injured or died in the accident.
She said she last communicated with her husband and friends when she reached Chirundu border on Sunday.“One of my friends got worried after watching the news and heard my name being mentioned as one of those who had died in the accident. She immediately contacted my husband, who assured her that I was fine because I had disembarked in Zimbabwe,” she said.

Ms Shoko said she felt devastated after getting a call from her husband, who informed her of the accident. “I thank God that I am alive today. I know he has kept me for a reason. I will forever remember this day because it could have been me. I am so heart-broken,” she said.

And Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Emmanuel Mwamba, says remains of the people who died in the accident, which happened in the early hours of Monday in Mokopane, Limpopo Province, South Africa, will be flown to Zambia once the identification process has been completed.
Mr Mwamba has asked for patience from affected families to enable authorities to conduct mandatory procedures.

And a manager at the bus company says management at the firm regrets the tragedy.
In an interview yesterday, Isaac Zulu said the accident had been traumatic to the company, especially that it was the first time it was experiencing such an incident.

“We are very much sorry and regret the accident because no-one takes pride in losing lives. This is why we are trying to locate the houses of the bereaved families and visiting them to convey our condolences,” Mr Zulu said. He said out of the dead passengers, two were from Ndola, three from Kitwe, one from Mufulira and five from Lusaka. The accident happened when a 55 passenger Scania Marcopolo bus, which was on its way to Johannesburg from the Copperbelt, overturned after a tyre burst, claiming 11 lives.