South Africans fined for obstructing traffic at Zimbabwe crash scene

Two South Africans and their Zimbabwean accomplice were yesterday fined for obstructing traffic at the site of a deadly accident in Chitungwiza that claimed 17 lives in July.

Cooper Daniel Colin, 33, Pretorius Walter James Seymour, 51, and Germishuizen Danica, 23, pleaded guilty to the offence when they appeared before Harare magistrate Vakai Chikwekwe. Each was ordered to pay a fine of US$200 or face four months' imprisonment.

Court proceedings revealed that Seymour and Danica, both crash Data Forensic experts based in Johannesburg, entered Zimbabwe on August 20 on Business Visas to investigate the Hunyani River Bridge accident scene. They were accompanied by Colin.

At the scene, the trio reportedly began marking scrap marks with paint and a tape measure, inadvertently obstructing traffic between Harare CBD and Chitungwiza and causing congestion.

Chief Inspector Mapepa, who was driving along the route, intervened after the group failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for conducting their investigation without notifying local authorities.

The incident highlights the need for foreign investigators to coordinate with local officials when conducting fieldwork in Zimbabwe.