A BULAWAYO motorist has sued Zebulon Express bus company for damages amounting to $16 000 and R85 000 after his car was rammed into and extensively damaged by the bus.
BY SILAS NKALA
Enos Cephas Buthelezi filed summons at the Bulawayo High Court last week, citing the driver of the bus, Geoffrey Dlodlo and the company as first and second respondents, respectively.
“Plaintiff’s claim against defendants is for R85 000, being replacement costs of plaintiff’s vehicle which was damaged in a road traffic accident caused by first defendant’s negligence while in the course of his employment with the second defendant, $14 400 being loss of income due to the damage of plaintiff’s vehicle beyond repair, $1 000 being the value of goods damaged during the accident, $1 000 being expenses incurred by the plaintiff in towing the vehicle to Bulawayo and other ancillary expenses related thereto,” the summons read.
In his declaration, Buthelezi submitted that on December 19, 2017, at 10:30am, his car, a Toyota Hilux, which was being driven by one Chamu Chamunorwa was involved in an accident with a Zebulon-owned Volvo bus driven by Dlodlo.
“The accident was caused by the first defendant (Dlodlo)’s negligence in one or more of the following ways; that he was driving at an excessive speed under the circumstances; he failed to keep a proper outlook; he was driving without due care and attention for other road users, for which he paid an admission of guilty fine at Gwanda Police Station, and he tried to overtake another vehicle and rammed into the back of plaintiff’s vehicle,” Buthelezi said.
“At all the material times, the defendant was under the course and scope of his employment as the second defendant’s driver. The defendant’s motor vehicle did not display an insurance disc and efforts to obtain insurance details of the vehicle from second defendant were in vain as he refused to provide such insurance details, hence this suit against the defendant without any recourse to the insurers.”
He said his vehicle, which was ferrying goods destined to Bulawayo for customers, was damaged beyond repair.
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Dlodlo and the bus company are yet to respond to the summons.
