The driver and conductor of the kombi that caught fire in Senga suburb, Gweru, killing seven pupils last Wednesday, have been remanded in custody to 23 June 2026.
Malcolm Elvis Cook (22) and Trinity Mudhenge (18) appeared before Gweru magistrate Deone Chiroyi on Saturday, facing separate charges of culpable homicide over the fatal blaze near Chirandu Business Centre.
The two accused, who were represented by Advocate Omega Tuso Maputsenyika of Maputsenyika Legal Practice, were not asked to plead. The State opposed bail.
In an affidavit, investigating officer Nyarai Lindiwe Makaza said inquiries are still ongoing and argued that the accused should remain in custody to allow investigations to be completed.
She further said their release could disturb public order or undermine peace and security in the affected community.
“The nature of the offence and circumstances surrounding it induced a sense of shock in the community,” said Makaza.
“All the above reasons taken together will cause the accused person to abscond and become a fugitive to justice, and it’s prudent to remand them in custody pending trial.”
The magistrate then remanded Cook and Mudhenge in custody.
Prosecutor Sibangani Dube told the court that Mudhenge is alleged to have boarded the commuter omnibus carrying a jerry can with about nine litres of petrol after the vehicle had already picked up pupils from several schools.
The fuel is said to have been placed behind the driver’s seat.
The court heard that while the vehicle was in motion, a fire broke out and rapidly engulfed the passenger compartment. Seven of the 24 pupils on board died in the blaze.
The State alleges that the fatalities were caused by the negligent transport and storage of petrol inside a passenger vehicle.
More: The Herald
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