adminWillard Shona (30), of 224 Emakhandeni, employed by City Line Taxis, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder but was convicted by Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Mark Dzira.
Two years of the sentence were suspended for five years. Shona immediately filed a notice of appeal against both conviction and sentence saying he was dissatisfied with the court’s decision to find him guilty.
Shona said his grounds of appeal were that the magistrate was harsh on him and did not consider that he was a first offender who was not conversant with court procedure.
He also said the police officer who had arrested him and was the complainant in the matter, Sergeant Thamsanqa Lunga, had actually blocked his way.
Shona said as he tried to avoid hitting him, Sgt Lunga jumped onto the bonnet of the vehicle. He said Sgt Lunga did not have reflectors to show that he was a traffic police officer and did not identify himself.
He said it was dangerous for him to have stopped for a stranger and only did so after noticing that he was a police officer, but after driving for some time.
The State’s case as presented by Mr Goodluck Katenaire was that on 8 January at about 10pm, Sgt Lunga, who was driving a police private vehicle and on patrol, spotted Shona picking passengers at an undesignated point near TM Hyper.
Sgt Lunga disembarked from his vehicle and approached Shona intending to arrest him but he suddenly drove off towards him.
Seeing that the vehicle would hit him, Sgt Lunga jumped onto the bonnet of the vehicle and Shona continued driving until he got to 13th Avenue.
Sgt Lunga was still clinging onto the bonnet when Shona turned left along 13th Avenue.
At that time, other motorists had joined the chase after seeing the traffic police officer in danger and Shona was intercepted and arrested at the corner of 13th Avenue and Fife Street.
Sgt Lunga had shattered the windscreen of the taxi with his elbow.
Online Reporter