Chronicle Editor
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau
THE driver of a South African-registered haulage truck which sideswiped a Johannesburg-bound Proliner bus killing 31 people on the spot and injuring 40 near Mvuma, has pleaded guilty.
Regis Mangwari, who had been pleading not guilty since the commencement of his trial two months ago, on Friday told Mvuma resident Magistrate Mr Tayengwa Chibanda that he was now pleading guilty.
He was remanded in custody to August 31 for sentencing.
“I’m changing my plea to guilty,” said Mangwari.
Since Mangwari has been pleading not guilty- the state had brought in four witnesses.
In his evidence prior to the change of the plea, Proliner bus driver Mr Tawanda Maoneke told the court that on approaching the 218km peg along Masvingo-Harare highway- he saw lights of a vehicle that were in his lane.
“I drove the bus to the left to avoid a head on collision but the lights of this vehicle in front of me kept following me until our vehicles sideswiped,” he said.
Accident evaluator from ZRP constable Gibson Botsa said Mangwari was accelerating when the accident happened.
“If the steering had locked like what the accused has been saying – we should have seen a jack-knife of the horse and trailer – at the same time if the steering had locked, the driver should have applied brakes but there are no skid marks at the accident scene,” said Mr Botsa.
Prosecutor Mr Bernard Nyoni said on April 5, Mangwari was driving a Harare-bound haulage truck from Johannesburg.
The truck was laden with tyres and had South African registration numbers.
He said on approaching the 218km peg along the Harare-Masvingo highway, his truck side swiped a bus killing 31 people.
The court heard that Mangwari acted negligently resulting in the loss of life.
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