News / Regional
Killer driver admits negligence
21 May 2014 at 07:14hrs | Views
THE woman who caused the death of Chronicle's Managing and Production Editor, Isaac Waniwa's son, Tinashe, 24, recently admitted to negligent driving saying that the accident will haunt her for the rest of her life.
Joyce Chipunza, 26, of 1951 Sally Mugabe Heights in Harare and an employee at Mars Medical Services pleaded guilty to a charge of culpable homicide when she was arraigned before Gwanda magistrate Arafat Kozanai.
In mitigation, Chipunza pleaded for leniency.
"I appeal to the court to be lenient with me because the accident caused me so much pain and it is haunting me that I caused the death of another person. I believe this accident will haunt me my entire life," she said.
Chipunza, who is on unpaid leave, also told the magistrate that she had two minor children who were in need of her care.
She was fined $200 for culpable homicide or 90 days imprisonment in default of payment.
In passing the sentence, magistrate Kozanai said he had taken into account that Chipunza was a first time offender who pleaded guilty to the offence and did not waste the court's time.
"Against this background you caused the death of another person. If you exercised caution on the road, no life was going to be lost.
"However, a custodial sentence will be too severe for a first time offender," said Kozanai.
Prosecutor Sikholiwe Ncube narrated how Chipunza caused the death of Tinashe on December 21, last year.
"On December 21, 2013 at about 3AM, the accused person was driving a Nissan Hardbody with registration numbers ABG7091 due west along Harare-Bulawayo road towards Bulawayo.
"The vehicle had seven passengers on board. On approaching the 360km peg along the same road the driver lost control of the vehicle and encroached onto the right lane. She then collided head on with a Mazda 323 vehicle registration number AAC 6536," said Ncube.
Tinashe who was a driver of the Mazda 323 sustained injuries and he died on admission at Gweru General Hospital.
Joyce Chipunza, 26, of 1951 Sally Mugabe Heights in Harare and an employee at Mars Medical Services pleaded guilty to a charge of culpable homicide when she was arraigned before Gwanda magistrate Arafat Kozanai.
In mitigation, Chipunza pleaded for leniency.
"I appeal to the court to be lenient with me because the accident caused me so much pain and it is haunting me that I caused the death of another person. I believe this accident will haunt me my entire life," she said.
Chipunza, who is on unpaid leave, also told the magistrate that she had two minor children who were in need of her care.
She was fined $200 for culpable homicide or 90 days imprisonment in default of payment.
In passing the sentence, magistrate Kozanai said he had taken into account that Chipunza was a first time offender who pleaded guilty to the offence and did not waste the court's time.
"Against this background you caused the death of another person. If you exercised caution on the road, no life was going to be lost.
"However, a custodial sentence will be too severe for a first time offender," said Kozanai.
Prosecutor Sikholiwe Ncube narrated how Chipunza caused the death of Tinashe on December 21, last year.
"On December 21, 2013 at about 3AM, the accused person was driving a Nissan Hardbody with registration numbers ABG7091 due west along Harare-Bulawayo road towards Bulawayo.
"The vehicle had seven passengers on board. On approaching the 360km peg along the same road the driver lost control of the vehicle and encroached onto the right lane. She then collided head on with a Mazda 323 vehicle registration number AAC 6536," said Ncube.
Tinashe who was a driver of the Mazda 323 sustained injuries and he died on admission at Gweru General Hospital.
Source - chronicle
