A 37-year-old South African man died after losing control of his car resulting in its veering off the road before it overturned along the Beitbridge-Bulawayo road, police said yesterday.

The Zimbabwean police spokesperson for Matabeleland South province, Asst Insp Trust Ndlovu, said the incident occurred on Sunday, 10 February, at around 07:30 near Gwanda.

"The deceased, identified as Bekezula Mdluli from Johannesburg, was driving from South Africa and heading towards Gwanda. On approaching the 206km peg, he lost control of the vehicle, a Gauteng-registered Toyota Hilux, resulting in its veering off the road and subsequently overturning," he said. Mr Mdluli sustained severe head injuries and died on the spot.

Mr Mdluli’s body was taken to the local hospital mortuary. "We suspect the accident was caused by fatigue, since the driver was traveling alone at night. We would like to urge motorists to utilize the lay-byes along the highways near service centers if they are tired, to avoid accidents," said Ndlovu.

The accident comes barely a fortnight after a resident from Nelspruit was killed in an accident while traveling to Masvingo.