Three South Africans, including a toddler, were killed when the car they were traveling in veered off the road and overturned along the Beitbridge-Masvingo Highway, police said.

The Zimbabwean police spokesman for Matabeleland South, Insp Tafanana Dzirutwe, said the accident happened on Monday at around 03:00. The incident occurred at the 235-kilometer peg.

He said the car, a Toyota Hilux, which had a Limpopo Province registration number, was coming from South Africa. The car was heading towards Masvingo in Zimbabwe. It had three people on board. They all died on the spot.

"The driver of the car lost control and it veered off the road and overturned. The car rolled several times before landing on its side," said Dzirutwe. The driver was trapped inside the wreckage, while the other two passengers were thrown out of the bakkie.

"We suspect the driver was affected by fatigue and we believe he was tired as he was traveling at night," said the police spokesman. The deceased persons’ goods were found scattered all over the area.

Dzirutwe could not, however, release the names of the deceased, saying their next of kin were yet to be informed.

The bodies were taken to Beitbridge District Hospital mortuary for a post-mortem.

"As police we would like to urge motorists to utilize lay-bye resting points dotted along our major highways. In fact, we are saying they should park their cars and rest whenever they feel dizzy and tired to avoid accidents and subsequent deaths," Dzirutwe said.