Woman gives birth on bus at Kafulafuta check point.

A woman, whose details have not been disclosed, is believed to have around 22:00 hours last night delivered a baby in a nearby bush at Kafulafuta check point.

Masaiti District Commissioner Patrick Zulu said the woman was on a CR bus carriers when she went into labour.

Mr. Zulu confirmed that the woman was helped by an elderly lady who was also on the same bus when the former went into labour on a bus that was heading to Ndola.

He said officers, who were manning Kafulafuta check point did not manage to record the name of the woman and the number plate for the bus.

Mr. Zulu said he is disappointed that police officers could not get the details of the woman and the number plate of the bus.

He told ZANIS that the bus was being driven beyond 21 hours and had the pregnant woman on board whose time to deliver came when the bus she was traveling on reached the Kafulafuta check point.

“The bus belonging to CR carriers was being driven an hour slightly beyond 21 hours, the time allowed for buses to be on the roads. Our mother went into labour immediately it reached the check point in Masaiti, and the woman gave birth on the bus,” Mr. Zulu said.

The District Commissioner explained that the incident happened when the driver was negotiating with officers who were manning the check point on why he was driving the bus beyond the stipulated time.

Mr. Zulu said the officers wanted to impound the bus while the driver laboured to explain to one of the police officers that he was driving at that hour because there was a pregnant woman on board who need to be taken to a nearby health centre.

He explained that in the process, the pregnant woman was taken to a nearby bush by well-wishers where she delivered from with the help of an elderly woman.

“I can say that she gave birth on the bus because by the time she was taken to the bush, labour was in advance stage,” Mr. Zulu said,

Mr Zulu has since appealed to drivers on high ways to make use of health facilities dotted along the road to help people.

He said government has built a lot of health facilities that could be utilised whenever such situations occurred, stating that the place where the woman delivered from was near Chakunte district hospital where she could have been rushed to.

Meanwhile, the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) Head of Public Relations, Fredrick Mubanga said the agency has not received a formal report on the matter regarding a CR bus moving beyond the stipulated time.

Mr. Mubanga said investigations have however been launched to establish why the driver defied the night ban and ended up risking the life of a woman.

“We have received about three press queries on the matter. We are yet to gather facts on the matter and the nation will be informed once that is done,” Mr. Mubanga said.