Danisa Masuku
A SOUTH AFRICAN truck driver accused of refusing to let a woman out of his moving truck before she fell and was run over, resulting in the amputation of her left leg, has denied kidnapping her.
Simon Steve Mg’ambo, 46, of Johannesburg, claims the woman jumped off his truck to avoid paying her fare.
Mg’ambo, who works for LPS Logistics Private Limited, appeared before Bulawayo Regional Magistrate Ms Patience Madondo on Tuesday facing charges of kidnapping, attempted murder and failing to stop after an accident.
He denied the charges, insisting that the woman had boarded his truck voluntarily before allegedly refusing to pay when they reached her destination.
“I did not kidnap her. She boarded my truck and when we got to her destination she refused to pay the fare.
“She jumped off the moving truck on her own while trying to avoid paying. I did not see her fall. I did not attempt to kill her and I did not fail to stop after an accident because I did not know that an accident had occurred,” he told the court.
He was remanded in custody to 10 November.
Prosecutor Mr Joseph Rugara told the court that the incident occurred on 11 September, at around 4pm in Gweru’s Central Business District.
The complainant allegedly boarded Mg’ambo’s South African-registered haulage truck, registration number HN94PR GP, which was travelling towards Shangani Mine Turn-Off. Another male passenger was also on board, but his particulars were not recorded.
When they reached Shangani Mine turn-off, the woman reportedly asked to be dropped off, saying she had arrived at her destination.
But Mg’ambo allegedly refused to stop and instead increased speed.
“The accused person increased the speed. The complainant then requested the driver to stop and drop her at the next bus stop but the accused person refused to stop and told the complainant that he was going to drop her in Bulawayo,” Mr Rugara told the court.
The woman’s ordeal allegedly continued after they reached Bulawayo.
She reportedly begged the driver to drop her anywhere in the city centre, but he allegedly refused and continued driving along Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street towards Plumtree.
Realising that the truck was leaving the city, the woman allegedly opened the locked passenger door and clung to it while the vehicle was moving.
The court heard that Mg’ambo allegedly failed to stop after noticing that she was clinging to the open door.
“The complainant later fell down from the moving vehicle and was run over on both legs by the vehicle’s wheels and got injured,” the court heard.
The woman sustained fractures to both legs and was rushed to hospital, where her left leg was amputated at the knee.
A medical report is expected to be produced in court as evidence.
