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Cop convicted of culpable homicide

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A Nkayi policeman was on Monday fined $100 or one month in prison and banned from driving for a month, after he crashed a police Defender vehicle and killed his boss in the process who was a passenger in the vehicle.

A Nkayi policeman was on Monday fined $100 or one month in prison and banned from driving for a month, after he crashed a police Defender vehicle and killed his boss in the process who was a passenger in the vehicle.

Report by Richard Muponde Senior Court Reporter

The court heard the accident happened along the the Nkayi-Bulawayo Road on November 7.

Njabulo Nkala (38) of Nkayi Police Station was convicted on his plea of guilty to culpable homicide by Bulawayo magistrate Victor Mpofu sitting at Mbembesi Circuit Court.

In mitigation, Nkala asked the court to give him a lenient sentence, as he was traumatised by the death of his immediate supervisor, Ophius Phiri, whose rank was not given in court.

He also said he had since been transferred from Nkayi to Tsholotsho and separated from his family in the process.

Nkala said he was likely to bear the costs of repairing the vehicle.

Charges against him were that on November 7, at about 11pm, Nkala was driving a police Defender from Bulawayo to his base in Nkayi.

He had four passengers on board including Phiri.

Nkala, who was speeding, failed to control the vehicle at the 138km peg and it veered off the road.

The vehicle hit a culvert and landed on Phiri’s side, who was sitting in the front passenger seat.

Phiri died on the spot due to the injuries he sustained on impact and the other three passengers sustained injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment.

A police report was made, leading to Nkala’s arrest.

He said the accident happened after he had a blackout and could not comprehend what was happening to him.