A Chitungwiza councillor, Adam Puzo, has been slapped with a three-month prison term for negligent driving after he caused the death of five people.
Kwekwe magistrate Letwin Rwodzi however spared him incarceration and gave him an option of paying a $300 fine.
The court heard Puzo, the councillor for Ward 1 in Chitungwiza, was involved in a car accident with Evelyn Masaiti last year on September 11 along the Kwekwe-Gokwe Road while driving from the MDC-T’s 11th anniversary celebrations in Gokwe.
According to the State, Puzo who was driving a Toyota Hilux, negligently and recklessly swerved into the path of Masaiti’s vehicle, leading to the accident.
Five passengers who were aboard his vehicle died on the spot. They were identified as Aleck Mugundu, Innocent Muzuva, Loveless Sango, Anna Mubaiwa and Constance Taruvinga.
Although Puzo accused Masaiti of having caused the accident by driving at high speed and attempting to overtake several cars at once, the court still found him guilty of not taking any measures to avoid the accident.
In passing sentence, Rwodzi said: “It is evident and not disputed the people who died were the accused’s friends and relatives, which loss will traumatise him for the rest of his life. Indeed, the purpose of sentencing is not to break the accused, but instead to allow him a chance to reflect and mend his ways.”
Innocent Muchini appeared for the State.
