Paul Pindani in CHINHOYI
THE family of a twelve-year-old boy, who was killed after he was struck by a combine harvester, will have to wait a little longer in their relentless quest for justice.
Suarance Moffat’s family has been crying foul, for years, claiming that justice was being delayed.
Suarance was playing in a maize field with his brother, and friends, when he was hit and killed by a combine harvester at a farm in Lion’s Den in 2022.
His family even claims he was deliberately chased down the field by the person who was driving the combine harvester before he was hit and killed.
Yesterday, the family, which claims its efforts for justice to be delivered have been frustrated over the years, was looking forward to the start of the trial of Daniel Brink Bosman and Douglas Zhanewo in Chinhoyi.
Bosman, a prominent commercial farmer in the area, and his driver Zhanewo were set to stand trial for Suarance’s murder.
However, the family will have to wait a bit longer as the case did not start, as scheduled, and has since been rolled over to the next judiciary term next year.
H-Metro could not establish why the start of the trial was postponed.
Suarance died at Omerstone Farm in Lion’s Den four years ago. The trial was set to start in exactly the same month, four years ago, when Suarance was killed on October 22, 2022.
Six days ago, his family marked the fourth anniversary of the day they lost their beloved son.
Suarance suffered severe skull injuries and a broken leg.
The State claims that Bosman and Zhanewo, acting with common purpose, caused the death of Suarance after the boy was hit by a combine harvester.
Bosman is denying the charges levelled against him.
The court appearance by Bosman and Zhanero will be the latest chapter of what has been a family’s relentless four-year-old fight for justice.
It will also be the latest chapter of what has been an endless nightmare for Tichaona Moffat, and his family, since their world was turned upside down four years ago.
The family claims Bosman, of Orange Grove, Chinhoyi, deliberately chased Suarance, and other boys, with the combine harvester in a maize field.
The family claims the boys were simply playing in the maize field when Bosman decided to chase after them and, in the process, knocked down Suarance and killed him.
The family claims Suarance’s brother, who was part of the boys who were playing in that maize field, watched his brother being knocked down by the combine harvester.
The family also claims the brother saw Suarance dangling from the front end of the combine harvester as he bled to his death.
Suarance’s mother, Tafadzwa Chineni, said justice has not been served.
She recounted the harrowing moment she received the tragic news.
“We were informed that our son had been run over by a tractor. We then swiftly went to the scene and, a few minutes later, my husband arrived and we took off the blanket so that we could identify the body.
“My husband observed that the body of our child did not look like someone who had been run over by a tractor.
“My husband asked the driver, (Douglas) Zhanewo, who admitted that he, indeed, was the one who had run over our child.”
However, the family claims that was just part of the cover up.
While Zhanewo works as a tractor driver at Bosman’s farm, the family claims he was not the one who was on the wheel of the combine harvester which struck and killed their son.
Interestingly, Bosman was the one who reported the tragedy at Murereka Police Station and, in his report, he claimed that Zhanewo had accidentally run over Suarance with a tractor.
However, the family claims that was a false report meant to ensure that Bosman escaped blame, and prosecution, for the death of their son.
