Paul Pindani in CHINHOYI
A LEADING commercial farmer is set to appear at the Chinhoyi High Court today for trial over the murder of a 12-year-old boy, who was killed by a combine harvester, at his farm in Lion’s Den.
Daniel Brink Bosman and his driver, Douglas Zhanewo, are being accused of causing the death of Suarance Moffat at Omerstone Farm in Lion’s Den four years ago.
The trial will start in exactly the same month, four years ago, when Suarance was killed on October 22, 2022.
Five 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 is the latest chapter of what has been a family’s relentless four-year-old fight for justice.
It is also 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 on 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.
Since that tragedy, the case has seen a number of twists and turns, including sensational allegations from the family that corruption was blocking their quest for justice for their slain son, in the past four years.
Suarance’s mother, Tafadzwa Chineni, said justice has not been served in the case related to her son’s death. 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.
