Motorist banned from driving for life after causing accident
A Harare motorist has been banned from driving for life and sentenced to two years in prison after causing a fatal accident in Borrowdale earlier this year.
Thirty-nine-year-old Ernest Ringisai Mauna was convicted of culpable homicide at the Harare Magistrates’ Court this week. He was jailed for 36 months, with 12 months suspended, resulting in an effective sentence of 24 months. His driver’s licence was also permanently cancelled.
Court papers indicate that the accident occurred on April 14, 2025. Mauna was speeding along Harare Drive in a Nissan Hardbody when he failed to keep a safe distance. He rammed into a Toyota Wish, sparking a chain reaction crash.
The pile-up involved several cars, including a Nissan Sunny, a Powerstar truck and a Honda Fit. The Sunny was forced into the oncoming lane and collided head-on with the truck.
Tragically, 53-year-old passenger Andrew Makuwaza died instantly.
Prosecutors told the court that Mauna had been driving negligently at high speed and failed to react when the collision became unavoidable.
In addition to prison, the magistrate cancelled his licence for classes 2, 4 and 5, meaning he can never legally drive heavy or light motor vehicles again.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said:
“Drivers are urged to exercise caution, patience, and responsibility on the roads. Reckless driving costs lives, and the law will not spare offenders who put others in danger.”
Contrast with musician Chillmaster
The sentencing has drawn comparisons with another high-profile case involving musician Kudakwashe Hombarume, better known as Chillmaster.
In April 2025, the 24-year-old unlicensed singer was speeding at 100 km/h in a 60 km/h zone when his Honda Shuttle hit and killed 46-year-old Custon Charumbira.
Initially, a Mbare magistrate sentenced him to community service after he compensated the victim’s family and paid funeral expenses.
But the High Court overturned that decision on 4 September 2025, calling the original ruling “outrageous.” Justice Mary Zimba Dube said:
“The facts of this case reveal a serious breach of road safety regulations… Contrary to a finding of ordinary negligence, the facts disclose gross negligence.”
She added:
“A victim impact statement cannot trump the interests of justice. Courts should not allow offenders to buy themselves out of a custodial sentence simply because they can pay compensation.”
Justice Dube stressed
“Community service imposed in circumstances such as these has the effect of trivialising the offence of culpable homicide arising from road traffic accidents.”
Instead, the High Court ordered a resentencing. However, at the resentencing, Chillmaster was banned from driving for nine months, the minimum penalty required by the High Court.
Two cases, two punishments
While Mauna faces a lifetime driving ban and two years in prison, Chillmaster — who was unlicensed at the time of the fatal crash — received a nine-month driving suspension.
The stark difference between the two punishments has sparked debate, with legal experts noting that the judiciary is under pressure to address Zimbabwe’s rising road death toll.
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