A South African-registered lorry driver, whose alleged actions led to the Chitungwiza road horror crash, is being charged for culpable homicide. Desire Madiviko, a 56-year-old man charged with seventeen counts of culpable homicide, will have his day in court on November 3.
The legal proceedings stem from a catastrophic incident on the Chitungwiza Highway this past July that claimed the lives of seventeen individuals and left several others with severe injuries. The accused will be represented by Raymond Madani of the law firm Atherstone and Cook.
The harrowing details of the event have been laid out in official court documents. According to the State’s case, the tragedy unfolded at approximately 10:00 in the morning on July 22. Madiviko was reportedly operating a Nissan UD Coroner truck towing a trailer for the Silimus Cold Chain Company and travelling northbound along Seke Road towards Harare.
The sequence of disaster began just after the St Mary’s junction. It is alleged that Madiviko lost control of the massive articulated vehicle, causing its left wheels to leave the tarmac.
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Truck Driver Responsible For The Chitungwiza Horror Crash Faces Culpable Homicide Charges
What happened next was a terrifying chain of events that left onlookers in shock. In a desperate attempt to regain control, the driver is said to have overcorrected his steering. This action sent the truck swerving violently across the inner lane and onto a central road island. Tragedy struck immediately as the vehicle mounted the kerb.
The court papers state that the lorry struck and killed two pedestrians walking along the island, identified as Prodigious Mugere and his unnamed girlfriend. The vehicle’s deadly path was far from over. It careened directly into the oncoming Chitungwiza-bound lane, resulting in a head-on collision with a Nissan Caravan commuter omnibus, registration ACZ 6937, operated by Wakanda Tours. The force of the impact was so immense that the truck overturned, coming to rest on top of the omnibus and crushing it beyond recognition.
The driver of the commuter omnibus, Tatenda Silva, and fourteen of his passengers were pronounced dead at the scene. Combined with the two pedestrians, the final death toll reached seventeen souls. A further five people, including three omnibus passengers, two individuals from the truck, and Madiviko himself, sustained serious injuries.
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The omnibus was declared a total write-off. The State contends that excessive speed was a primary factor, alleging that Madiviko was travelling too fast to exercise proper caution or control over his vehicle, constituting a grave act of negligence. The bodies of the deceased were transported to Chitungwiza Central Hospital for post-mortem examinations, and the subsequent reports will be submitted as evidence during the trial.
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