US Ambassador Pamela Tremont Denies Diplomat Fled After Fatal Dema Accident
The United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Pamela Tremont, has denied reports that a U.S. diplomat involved in a car accident that allegedly killed a local girl in Dema in June 2024 fled the country.
In a recent interview with local radio station ZiFM Stereo, Tremont said that the embassy is fully cooperating with the investigation into the tragic incident.
She added that embassy officials have been in constant communication with local authorities, countering claims suggesting otherwise. Said Tremont:
We have expressed our sincerest condolences for this extremely tragic situation… We were really happy to see local authorities put some measures to put speed humps to slow down traffic on that stretch of road…
Just to be clear, the person who was involved, who was driving the car, despite what has been claimed in the media, did not flee the scene.
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He actually went to the police when he realised he could not help the girl, reported the accident and then initiated the investigation with them.
He and his colleagues were at the scene for quite a long time after the accident while the police did their investigation.
Since then, he has been in constant contact with both the family and the police to further the investigation.
Embassy representatives representatives attended the funeral and helped pay some compensation to help the family deal with funeral expenses.
So, we are extremely saddened by the loss that this family experienced and we have helped in every way possible to further the investigation.
Zimbabwean government officials identified the American diplomat as Eric Kimpton from the United States Embassy in Harare.
Reports indicate that on the morning of June 3, 2024,11-year-old Ruvarashe Takamhanya was walking to Marikopo Primary School with her best friend when the tragic incident occurred as she was crossing the main road running through Dema.
Dema is a growth point located 40 km southeast of the capital, Harare.
Ruvarashe’s mother, Juliana Vito (24), told BBC that she found out about the accident from neighbours and ran to the scene.
Vito said that the driver of the vehicle was not present when she arrived at the scene. She added that the driver had not contacted the family directly since the incident.
Vito explained that the driver’s colleagues had apologised on his behalf, telling her that he had left the scene because he was “affected by the accident”.
The girl’s father, Silvester Takhamanya, told the BBC they were given US$2,000 by the US embassy to cover funeral arrangements.
Ruvarashe’s parents, who do not live together, said she lived up to her name, which means “flower of God” in the Shona language.
They told BBC that they wanted the driver of the car that killed their daughter to sit down with them and explain what happened.
More: Pindula News
