Parents beg US diplomat for apology over fatal crash
The family of an 11-year-old girl who was reportedly killed by a US diplomat in a road accident in Zimbabwe this June has told the BBC they want him to return to Zimbabwe and offer a personal apology.
Ruvarashe Takamhanya was allegedly run over by a vehicle driven by the diplomat while she was en route to school in Dema, a town 40 km (24 miles) southeast of Harare.
Her parents acknowledge that the US diplomat has diplomatic immunity, but they believe an apology could help them cope with their grief and provide a sense of closure.
A US State Department spokesperson expressed sympathy, stating that their thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the girl. They also noted that the US Embassy in Harare is working with local officials and recognizes the profound impact of the accident on everyone involved.
Ruvarashe was crossing the main road in Dema with her best friend on a Monday morning when the incident occurred. Her mother, Juliana Vito, learned of the accident from neighbors and rushed to the scene.
“I hoped she would wake up. Even now, I keep thinking it’s just a bad dream. I’m deeply hurt,” the 24-year-old told the BBC.
She also mentioned that the driver was not present when she arrived at the crash site and has not made any direct contact with the family since the accident.
His colleagues apologized on his behalf, she said, and told her that he left the scene because he was “affected by the accident”.
“I felt like he wasn’t really sorry,” she said. “I wish he came directly so I could pour my heart out.”
The girl’s father, Silvester Takhamanya, told the BBC they were given $2,000 (£1,575) by the US embassy to cover funeral arrangements.
The US State Department spokesperson confirmed the embassy had provided “support to the girl’s family” and said representatives attended the funeral.
But the family feels abandoned in their grief.
“We are trying to be brave,” Mr Takamhanya told the BBC.
Ruvarashe’s parents say she lived up to her name, which means “flower of God” in the Shona language, describing her as sweet, kind, and intelligent.
“People were always amazed by her,” her mother, who is a baker, said proudly.
Police spokesman Paul Nyathi told the BBC the diplomat had initially said he wanted to rest after the accident, which happened on 3 June, and that he would then make contact with investigators.
But investigations had stalled as the diplomat left Zimbabwe not long after the accident, according to Mr Nyathi.
Zimbabwe’s presidential spokesman George Charamba has expressed outrage at his conduct.
“When a diplomat is involved in a fatal traffic accident, uses the pretext of counseling, which he thinks is only available in his country, and then decides to stay away from police, he or she moves from being a diplomat to a fugitive,” he told the state-run Herald newspaper last month.
Government spokesperson Nick Mangwana was more tactful in his response to the BBC.
But he explained the Vienna Convention, on which diplomatic immunity is founded, “gives both privileges and responsibilities”.
“Whilst what happened was an unfortunate fatal accident which resulted in the tragic loss of the life of one of our nationals, there is an expectation that the parties involved would take responsibility and do the right thing by the family of the victim as well as by the laws of this country.
“It is part of diplomats’ responsibility to abide by and comply with the laws of the host country.”
The US State Department spokesperson said the embassy would continue to communicate with the police and other officials as they complete their investigation.
Mr Mangwana said the incident should not affect diplomatic relations with the US: “As a government, we do not believe that the diplomat concerned set out to kill our national. It was an accident regardless of his culpability for it.”
Ruvarashe’s parents, who do not live together, tend to struggle day to day and have high hopes for their daughter’s future.
“She loved school so much. She wanted to be an air hostess,” said Mr Takamhanya.
Ruvarashe’s ambition had been a joy for her mother, who said she had dropped out of school when she had become pregnant with her.
“I still can’t believe she is gone. She was my only child. I thought she was going to take care of me one day,” Ms Vito said.
“I’m just surviving but my life and my hope is gone. I’m dying day by day.”
She said she looked on Ruvarashe as a best friend, adding that her daughter had also often helped look after her as her health was “deteriorating”.
Compensation would help the family, but more than anything Ruvarashe’s parents want the driver of the car that killed their daughter to sit down with them and explain what happened.
