Online Reporter
Kudakwashe Kutinyo
A 43-year-old truck driver from Nyaradza in Gokwe has been fined US$400 or, alternatively, sentenced to six months in prison after he accidentally ran over and killed a man who had fallen asleep beneath his parked vehicle.
Tavonga Ticharwa was convicted on his own plea of guilty to a charge of culpable homicide when he appeared before Hwange provincial magistrate Ms Rumbidzai Kabasa.
Prosecutor Mr Wisdom Shava told the court that the tragic incident occurred on the night of November 29, last year, at around 10PM. Ticharwa was travelling from Victoria Falls to Bulawayo, driving a Freightliner truck loaded with 30 tonnes of coal.
During a scheduled stop at the Hwange Truck Stop, Ticharwa disembarked from the vehicle to relieve himself, unaware that an unidentified man had crawled under the truck and fallen asleep.
Upon returning, Ticharwa started the engine and drove off without inspecting the area beneath the vehicle. He only realised something was wrong when he heard a man screaming, prompting him to stop immediately.
The man died on the spot. Ticharwa reported the incident to the police, and the deceased’s body was taken to the Hwange Colliery Hospital mortuary. A post-mortem examination was later conducted at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH).
In his closing submissions, the prosecutor argued that Ticharwa had acted negligently by failing to check under the vehicle before moving it — an oversight that led to the avoidable loss of life. — New Ziana
Bongani Ndlovu