Bulawayo driver gets community service for culpable homicide

Faith Ndlovu, Sunday News Reporter

A 21-YEAR-OLD man from Emakhandeni suburb, Bulawayo has been charged with culpable homicide following a fatal accident on Luveve road.

This came out when Isheanesu Nhamo, appeared before the Western Commonage magistrate Mr Mehluli Moyo, facing one count of culpable homicide as defined in Section 49 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23 as read with Section 64 of the Road Traffic Act Chapter 13:11 Culpable Homicide.

According to the State Prosecutor, Ms Metellia Moyo, Nhamo was driving a Nissan Diesel UD Truck along Luveve road with two passengers on board, upon reaching a bus stop near the T junction with Intemba road, he fatally struck, a pedestrian, Prince Melusi Ndlovu who was walking beside his parked car, a Toyota commuter Omnibus.

“After hitting the now deceased, the accused person did not stop his motor vehicle at the scene of the accident but he later surrendered himself at Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Bulawayo Traffic West,” said Ms Moyo.

The accused person’s motor vehicle did not suffer any visible damages due to the collision and was inspected by Bulawayo’s Vehicle Inspection Department and a report was produced in Court as Exhibit.

Due to the collision the now deceased sustained severe head injuries and multiple injuries, a post-mortem was produced in Court as an exhibit.

“The accused person was negligent in one or more of the following particulars, he was traveling at an excessive speed under the circumstances, failed to keep a proper lookout and failed to stop or act reasonably when an accident seemed imminent,” said the prosecutor.

The court was also told that Nhamo’s family later assisted the bereaved family.

He was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment of which 14 months were suspended for five years on condition that he does not, within that period, commit a similar crime.

The remainder of the sentence was wholly suspended on condition that he perform 350 hours of community service at Josiah Chinamano Primary School.