A 30-year-old man, Richard Sibanda of Killarney squatter camp in Bulawayo, drowned while attempting to cross the flooded Umguza River Bridge on Sunday, police have confirmed.
Bulawayo Acting Police Spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele, reported that Sibanda was accompanied by four other men at the time of the tragic incident.
“On January 19, 2025, at around 9 pm, Sibanda and five other men were crossing the Umguza River Bridge, travelling from Cement Side Compound to their residences. The water was flowing over the bridge at about knee level. Sibanda, at the front of the group, was swept off the bridge and carried into the river,” she said.
Assistant Inspector Msebele added that the four others did not attempt to cross the bridge after witnessing Sibanda being swept away.
“They alerted other residents, who joined the search for the deceased. After an exhaustive search, Sibanda’s body was found hanging from a tree in the middle of the river,” she said.
A police report was subsequently made, and the body was transported to United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) mortuary for a post-mortem.
Assistant Inspector Msebele urged the public to avoid crossing flooded rivers and to seek alternative routes or wait for water levels to subside to prevent such tragedies.
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