By Tim Binnall
A village in Zimbabwe is on edge due to the presence of an abandoned bus that some residents believe to be haunted. According to a local media report, the curious case is currently unfolding in the community of Chitungwiza, where the empty vehicle first appeared outside of a shopping center a few months ago. Since that time, rumors of paranormal activity emanating from the abandoned bus have swirled throughout the village due to accounts from multiple people who claim to have witnessed weird activity. Some have shared accounts of seeing shadowy figures sitting inside. Meanwhile, others assert that they heard mysterious music or the voice of a disembodied driver calling out to his phantom passengers.
As the tales have taken hold of the community, an urban legend has grown around the eerie bus with resident Kainos Matimbanyoka explaining that "the original owner reportedly died after being run over by it while repairing it underneath. People believe his spirit now haunts the vehicle." This was echoed by Adam Gaku, who also lives in Chitungwiza and mused that the bus is "cursed." In response to the furor gripping the community, a journalist spent five days inside the allegedly haunted vehicle to get to the bottom of the peculiar case. While he did not experience any encounters with apparitions or inexplicable sounds, the reporter did confirm accounts of the vehicle's lights turning on at night and off in the morning every day.
Located by a local media outlet, the vehicle's owner insisted that the supernatural stories swirling around it are merely stories that have turned into something of a hysteria. "The bus isn't haunted," Tatenda Gurwe declared, "I'm amazed people peek into the bus and point at it like it's a spectacle." The owner indicated that the vehicle simply needs a new battery before it can be removed from the spot. To that end, he said, the systemic activation of the lights is because they are on a solar-powered system. While his clarification about the nature of the bus quelled some concerns in the community, not everyone is on board with Gurwe's explanation for the spooky activity ascribed to the vehicle.