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Sukulwenkosi Dube- Matutu, [email protected]
A Gwanda man has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for causing the death of a woman from his community who fell from a trailer of a moving tractor that he was driving.
Large Sibanda (34) of Ntalale area was convicted on his own plea of guilty of driving without a licence and culpable homicide when he appeared before Gwanda provincial magistrate, Ms Patience Madondo.
He was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, of which two months were suspended on condition that he does not commit a similar offence within the next five years.
The remaining 10 months were further suspended on condition that he performs 350 hours of community service at Ntalale Primary School.
Prosecuting, Gwanda District public prosecutor, Mr Shepherd Moyo, said Sibanda, who does not have a driver’s licence, was driving a tractor which was pulling a trailer with 30 bags of maize, each weighing 50kg. He was also ferrying 15 passengers who were seated on the bags of maize.
“On 14 September, the accused person, who doesn’t have a licence, loaded 30 bags of maize, each weighing 50kg, onto a trailer which was being pulled by a tractor. He further loaded 15 people on top of the bags of maize in order to deliver them to their homes. Along the way, one of the passengers, Ketumetsi Ndebele, fell off the trailer of the tractor and was crushed by a wheel, dying on the spot. The matter was reported to the police, who attended the scene. Investigations were conducted, leading to the arrest of the accused person,” he said.
In his submissions, Mr Moyo pleaded with the court to consider the degree of negligence displayed by the accused person. He said Sibanda had shown gross negligence by loading bags of maize and then ferrying people on top of the pile of maize bags.
Mr Moyo added that the accused person was driving without a licence.
In his mitigation, Sibanda said he drove the tractor following a request from villagers who needed assistance in carrying their maize, which they had received under the drought relief programme. He begged the court to be lenient with him as he was trying to help the community with no harm intended.
“The driver of the tractor wasn’t around, but the vehicle was parked at home, hence the villagers asked me to drive it. They needed assistance in ferrying their maize grain from the business centre to their bus stops.
“I had no intention to cause harm or to cost anyone’s life. I feel really sorry for what happened, and to show my remorse, I covered some of the burial costs incurred by the bereaved family. May the court be lenient towards me,” he said.
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