A 28-YEAR-OLD Harare truck driver appeared in court yesterday charged with intercepting President Robert Mugabe’s motorcade in Borrowdale at the weekend before speeding off in his tipper truck.
BY MARY TARUVINGA
Joseph Chakanetsa was later arrested in Kambuzuma and charged with negligent driving.
Chakanetsa pleaded guilty to the charge when he appeared before magistrate Nomsa Sabarauta and was remanded to today for ruling.
According to the State, the incident occurred on June 18 this year around 4pm. The court heard the President was going to his Borrowdale home.
Chakanetsa was driving an ERF tipper vehicle turning into Borrowdale Road.
The State alleged that Chakanetsa did not stop, but proceeded into the intersection while Mugabe’s motorcade was passing.
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Sergeant Mazowe, who was in the backup police vehicle ordered Chakanetsa to pull off the road and Chakanetsa complied.
Mazowe then ordered Chakanetsa to drive to Borrowdale Police Station to be formally charged for contravening road traffic regulations. However, Chakanetsa took the opposite direction and sped off with Mazowe in hot pursuit and sounding the siren. He allegedly continued driving, passing through red traffic lights and was only apprehended in Rugare on his way to Kambuzuma.
The court heard that the particulars of negligence driving include failure to stop at intersections and robots, driving on the wrong side of the road at high speed.
The incident came shortly after two police officers appeared in court on similar charges after they allegedly intercepted Mugabe’s motorcade along Samora Machel Avenue as the Head of State was travelling to his rural home in Zvimba. The matter is also still pending at the court.
