Parents Ask US Diplomat To Apologise Over Crushing Child

Family of an 11-year-old girl allegedly killed by a US diplomat in Zimbabwe in a road accident in June have told the BBC they want him to return to the country and apologise to them in person.

Ruvarashe Takamhanya is believed to have been run over by a vehicle driven by the diplomat as she was on her way to school in Dema, a town 40km (24 miles) south-east of the capital, Harare.

Her parents say they realise the US diplomat has diplomatic immunity but an apology might help them recover from the pain and give them a sense of closure.

“Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the girl,” a US State Department spokesperson told the BBC, adding that its Harare embassy was co-operating with local officials.

The embassy “recognises the devastation of this accident for all involved”, the spokesperson said.

Ruvarashe was heading to school with her best friend on a Monday morning when she was hit as she crossed the main road that runs through Dema, the BBC has been told.

Her mother, Juliana Vito, said she found out about the accident from neighbours and ran to the scene.

“I thought she was going to wake up. Till now I keep thinking it’s just a dream. I’m deeply hurt,” the 24-year-old told the BBC.

She said that the driver of the car was not there when she got to the crash site – and had not reached out directly to the family since.

His colleagues apologised on his behalf, she said, and told her that 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 feel abandoned in their grief.

“We are trying to be brave,” Mr Takamhanya told the BBC.