MALAGWANE ACCIDENT: TRUCK DRIVER TRAPPED FOR 7HRS

MNYAMATSINI – “I still cannot believe I survived.”

The truck driver who was trapped in the wreckage for seven hours after an accident, at the foot of the Malagwane Hill, has narrated how he stared death in the face.Leornard Mate (43), was interviewed in his hospital ward, where he is recuperating, at the Mbabane Government Hospital, after he was eventually safely removed from the wreckage. The truck he was driving was transporting treated poles, normally used to erect live electricity wires, when he lost control of the vehicle at Mnyamatsini. Like a daring monster, it mowed down three vehicles before overturning on the side of the road. The roof and walls of the truck caved in, leaving no room for the driver to be evacuated with ease.

Though the accident took place at 7pm on Monday, the driver was eventually rescued at 1:40am the following day, by Eswatini National Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services (ENFRES) staff, police officers  and members of the public. Mate said he was still dumbstruck on how he escaped imminent death. When help reached him, he was in agony, having sustained injuries on the head, both arms and legs. He said he was from Usuthu Forest, and ferrying the treated poles to Mozambique. “I had taken a break at the cooling station, (near Cabinet Offices), before proceeding with my journey. As I was driving down the hill, I sensed that something was wrong with the truck. I tried to apply brakes, but things did not go as planned,” he said.

Mate said when he tried to apply the brakes, he was disrupted by the high traffic volume on the road. He said his greatest fear was crashing into other cars. He said he tried everything humanly possible to avoid the accident. He said the steering wheel started malfunctioning and the truck gained momentum. “I counted myself a dead man, when I saw the truck veering off the road down the slope. I still cannot believe I continued to breathe for an entire seven hours in the truck,” he said shockingly.

Meanwhile, ENFRES staff from stations such as Mbabane, Lobamba and Matsapha, burned the midnight oil to save the life. With a nudge here, a shove there, the firefighters toiled without the necessary tools to remove Mate from the wreck. They were commended by eyewitnesses for their determination, even when hope was fading. Mbhilibhi Towing was eventually engaged to tow away the truck. Mbhilibhi Towing’s Western Star, Managing Director Jono van Wyk, said his team worked through the night and eventually managed to tow away the truck at 6am, to the Mbhilibhi yard in Ezulwini.  The managing director further said the team worked efficiently to ensure that the highway was opened and safe for morning traffic.

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