Sirizani Butau is a Zimbabwean Truck Driver widely recognized as a hero for his actions during a fatal bus accident on Christmas Eve, 2021. He bravely rescued eight people from a burning bus and, in doing so, suffered severe burns.
While driving near Mutare on the Harare-Mutare highway, Butau came upon a head-on collision between a bus and a fuel tanker. The crash caused a massive inferno, with flames engulfing the vehicles and people trapped inside.
Without regard for his own safety, Butau ran toward the burning wreckage and began pulling passengers out of the bus. He sustained third-degree burns but persisted until he had saved eight lives.
For his selfless act, Butau was awarded the Gold Cross of Zimbabwe by President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Butau’s third-degree burns meant he could no longer work as a truck driver, his primary source of income.
