An unlicensed member of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) yesterday appeared at the Mbare Magistrates’ Court charged with culpable homicide after knocking down dead a cyclist late last month.
BY NQOBILE NKIWANE
The suspect, Joseph Chaona, pleaded guilty to the offence when he appeared before magistrate Stanford Mambanje, who convicted and remanded him to today for sentence.
Allegations against Chaona (25) were that on November 24 this year he was driving a Toyota Noah vehicle along Harare-Bulawayo Road when he tried to overtake a vehicle which was in the inner lane as he approached the National Sports Stadium.
While overtaking, the court heard, Chaona failed to control his car resulting in him knocking down Arnold Mutarenge, who was cycling an ice-cream cart near the yellow lane.
Mutarenge is said to have died on the spot as a result of the injuries sustained when his head got knocked to the ground.
Police officers who attended the accident scene discovered Chaona was not a holder of a valid driver’s licence.
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In his mitigation, Chaona admitted he was not a licensed public transport driver but was licensed to drive military vehicles.
He also showed contrition and told the court he had assisted the deceased’s family during the funeral and the burial of the late Mutarenge.
“I bought the coffin, food, and also I assisted with transport to the place of burial,” Chaona said.
