Online Reporter
Fairness Moyana in Hwange
A Harare man has been fined US$500 or, in default, will serve six months in prison after he was convicted for fatally knocking down a pedestrian along the Bulawayo–Victoria Falls Road earlier this year.
Munyaradzi Luke Chirombe (36), of 1537 Budiriro, Harare, appeared before Hwange Provincial Magistrate Ms Rumbidzai Kabasa and pleaded guilty to a charge of culpable homicide.
The State was represented by prosecutor Wisdom Shava.
He told the court that on January 13, 2025, at approximately 4:30PM, Chirombe was driving a Toyota Townace with a net mass of 1,520kg along the Bulawayo–Victoria Falls highway.
Upon reaching the 281-kilometre peg, he lost control of the vehicle, which veered off the road and struck a pedestrian who was walking on the far right-hand side of the roadway.
The victim, identified as Tobias Dube, sustained serious injuries and was rushed to Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo, where he died upon admission. His body was taken to the hospital mortuary for a postmortem examination.
A subsequent inspection of the vehicle was conducted by the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID), and the findings were submitted to the court as part of the evidence.
The State alleged that Chirombe had driven negligently, contributing directly to the fatal incident. The specific acts of negligence cited included travelling at an excessive speed given the road conditions, failing to stop or take reasonable precautions when an accident appeared imminent, and failing to maintain proper control of the vehicle.
Chirombe, who holds a valid Zimbabwean driver’s licence covering classes 2, 4, and 5, admitted wrongdoing and was convicted on his own plea of guilty.
The sentence, though non-custodial, serves as a reminder of the deadly consequences of careless driving. Authorities continue to call for greater caution on Zimbabwe’s roads, where speed and inattention remain leading contributors to road fatalities
