A Gwanda motorist was on Monday fined $400 and banned from driving for six months after he was convicted of two counts of culpable homicide following an accident involving his car and a commuter omnibus along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road in February.
Tirivavi Totamirepi (44) of St Christopher’s was convicted by Gwanda magistrate Innocent Bepura last week after pleading not guilty.
After pleading with the court for leniency, he was given 21 days to pay the fine.
Prosecutor JefterNyikadzinashe said on February 12, Totamirepi was driving a Mahindra pick-up truck registration number GLL 6641 with one passenger towards Bulawayo along the Bulawayo–Beitbridge Road.
On reaching the 24km peg from Bulawayo near Match Binding in Esigodini, he lost control of the vehicle and encroached into the opposite lane and collided with a Toyota Hiace commuter omnibus.
As a result, one passenger in the commuter omnibus, Nkosilathi Baloyi, died on the spot while another who was in the same vehicle, Jabulani Mathuthu, died on admission at the United Bulawayo Hospitals. The court established that Totamirepi was speeding and failed to control his vehicle resulting in the collision.
Totamirepi was represented by two lawyers, Thompson Mabikwa and Michel Chigova.
