A Gweru City Council driver who struck an eight-month pregnant vendor as she tried to retrieve her goods from a council vehicle has been sentenced to six months in prison for negligent driving.
Zivanai Chimombe, 41, was also ordered to surrender his driver’s licence to the clerk of court.
Gweru Magistrate Arnold Maburo, who imposed the sentence, gave Chimombe the option to pay a US$300 fine to avoid imprisonment.
Magistrate Maburo said Chimombe should have exercised greater caution and compassion, particularly given that the victim was heavily pregnant and vulnerable.
Chimombe struck Pauline Njani, 39, who sustained degloving injuries — a severe trauma in which skin and underlying soft tissue are forcibly torn from the body, often exposing muscle, bone and connective tissue.
Prosecutor Thembalami Dhliwayo told the court that Njani was selling potatoes in the CBD when municipal police officers arrived and confiscated them.
As Njani attempted to retrieve her bucket, a municipal police officer at the back of the vehicle held her hand, and she was dragged as the car moved. The rear wheel then struck her.
More: Masvingo Mirror
Leave a Reply Cancel reply