Zimbabwe lawmaker and poet dies after his car hits an elephant

Zimbabwean opposition lawmaker Desire Moyo has died after the vehicle he was travelling in hit an elephant, local media report.

The accident happened in the early hours of Friday morning while Mr Moyo and four other MPs were travelling along the Bulawayo-Gweru highway, according to state-owned broadcaster ZBC.

He died instantly while his fellow lawmakers were left injured, the news outlet added.

Tributes are pouring in for the well-known poet, hailed for his contribution to the arts, who died a day before his 46th birthday.

He was a member of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), led by Nelson Chamisa, and served in the Zimbabwean parliament’s sport, recreation, arts and culture committee.

The Nkulumane Constituency in Zimbabwe’s second city, Bulawayo, which he represented, confirmed the news of his death in a statement and shared its “deep sorrow and profound shock”.

Fellow lawmaker Caston Matewu was among those to pay tribute to Moyo, affectionately known as Moyoxide, hailing him as “one of the hardest working MPs in Parliament”.

“The people of Nkulumani [sic] have been robbed of this great [man],” Mr Matewu said.

The City of Bulawayo, led by mayor David Coltart, said Mr Moyo would be remembered as an “iconic leader … and creative” who “strove to champion the arts” in the city and beyond.

Mr Moyo was an award-winning poet, educator and arts administrator “who devoted his life to nurturing Zimbabwe’s creative sector”, according to the state-run Herald news site.

The other lawmakers involved in Friday’s crash have been taken to hospital.

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