Francistown-bound hitchhiker dies in road mishap

Pini Bothoko | Thursday March 13, 2025 13:36

The woman had on Friday asked for a lift from a South African national's vehicle en route to Francistown from Zambia. Sowa Town Police Station assistant commander, Assistant Superintendent Oteng Selalame, said the South African national's Isuzu double cab vehicle had other two people on board. The occupants were a driver, 56, and a 36-year-old man, who was a passenger. 'Through our preliminary investigations, we have established that the driver had hit a pothole, failed to control the car, and it overturned, leaving one dead. The trio was rushed to Nata clinic where the Motswana woman was certified dead on arrival by the doctors,' he said.

Selalame said the driver has sustained serious head injuries and others on his leg that already has a metal plate from a previous accident. He added the said driver was referred to Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital for further medical treatment whilst his fellow South African passenger escaped the accident with minor injuries. Meanwhile, Selalame cautioned motorists about the A3 road, which he said was in a bad state, especially from Mathangwane and beyond Zoroga village. 'A3 road is very bad, its potholes are no longer potholes but ditches,' Selalame said. 'They are very dangerous, especially when one is driving at a high speed, because one can find a big ditch covering the whole road and can't avoid it. I am pleading with motorists to be extra cautious when driving along this road.'