Night Out Turns To Tragedy: Man Drives Home With Dying Friend Thinking He Is Merely Drunk

A night of revelry in Gweru ended in heartbreak after a young man made a tragic error. He unknowingly drove his fatally injured friend home, believing the man was simply unconscious from alcohol. The devastating mistake only became clear when they reached their destination in the Clifton Park suburb.

The Midlands Provincial Police Spokesperson, Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko, confirmed the incident, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, 3 November 2025. The two friends — Panashe Mashate, aged 38, and Munashe Magura, aged 22 — had been socialising at The Barn nightclub in Gweru.

A Fight Over Ice Blocks Turns Deadly

According to the police report, the evening took a violent turn following a dispute. Inspector Mahoko stated that an argument erupted between Magura and another, unidentified man. The confrontation was reportedly over a trivial issue.

“The incident happened while they were drinking beer at The Barn nightclub in Gweru. Mashate saw Magura quarrelling with another man over some ice blocks and tried to intervene. The other man fled the scene,” said Inspector Mahoko.

It was during this attempt to act as a peacemaker that Mashate was allegedly stabbed. Unaware of the seriousness of his friend’s injury, the two men decided to leave the nightclub and head home using Mashate’s vehicle.

The Fatal Misunderstanding Unfolds

The tragic misunderstanding began as they prepared to drive. Mashate, who was initially in the driver’s seat, suddenly lost consciousness. His friend, Magura, made what seemed a reasonable assumption at the time, given the night’s events.

“The now deceased became unconscious while seated on the driver’s seat. Magura assumed his friend had passed out due to intoxication, so he moved him to the passenger’s seat and drove to Clifton Park, where they both stay,” said Inspector Mahoko.

Unbeknownst to him, Mashate was bleeding from a stab wound to the stomach. Magura drove them both home, convinced that his friend was simply asleep from too much drinking.

A Grim Discovery At Home

The horrifying truth emerged only after the car had been parked at their residence in Clifton Park. It was then that Magura noticed blood stains on his trousers and realised something was terribly wrong.

He frantically tried to wake Mashate, but the 38-year-old was unresponsive. Emergency services were immediately called, and police officers who attended the scene confirmed the worst — Panashe Mashate had died from a single stab wound.

His body was transported to Gweru Provincial Hospital mortuary, where a post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted. Inspector Mahoko confirmed that investigations are ongoing, and police are searching for the man who fled after the stabbing.