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Bus driver jailed for fatal Beitbridge-Bulawayo Highway crash
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A 62-year-old cross-border bus driver employed by South Africa-based Mthethi Bus Coaches has been sentenced to an effective 18 months in prison for negligent driving that claimed the lives of two people in December 2024 near Makhado along the Beitbridge-Bulawayo Highway.
Roderick Ndlovu was driving an Irizar bus on December 19, 2024, when he strayed from his lane and collided head-on with a Toyota Fortuner travelling in the opposite direction. The driver of the Fortuner and a front-seat passenger died on the spot.
Although Ndlovu pleaded not guilty to culpable homicide, Beitbridge Resident Magistrate Mr Takudzwa Gwazemba convicted him after finding the State's evidence compelling.
In addition to the custodial sentence, the court barred Ndlovu from driving class one vehicles for 24 months and cancelled his class one driver's licence.
Prosecutors Mr Ronald Mugwagwa and Miss Olivia Chamutinya told the court that the accident occurred around 3am at the 277-kilometre peg along the Bulawayo–Beitbridge road. Ndlovu was driving a speeding South African-registered bus towards Beitbridge when he struck a donkey with the left side of the bus's bumper.
The impact caused the bus to swerve into the oncoming lane, where it collided head-on with the Toyota Fortuner. After the crash, the bus veered off the road, hit roadside bushes and eventually came to a stop on a nearby railway line.
The court heard that both vehicles sustained extensive damage, with the bus damaged mainly on its right side. The bodies of the deceased were taken to Beitbridge District Hospital for post-mortem examinations, while Ndlovu was also treated at the same hospital before his arrest following police investigations.
Roderick Ndlovu was driving an Irizar bus on December 19, 2024, when he strayed from his lane and collided head-on with a Toyota Fortuner travelling in the opposite direction. The driver of the Fortuner and a front-seat passenger died on the spot.
Although Ndlovu pleaded not guilty to culpable homicide, Beitbridge Resident Magistrate Mr Takudzwa Gwazemba convicted him after finding the State's evidence compelling.
In addition to the custodial sentence, the court barred Ndlovu from driving class one vehicles for 24 months and cancelled his class one driver's licence.
Prosecutors Mr Ronald Mugwagwa and Miss Olivia Chamutinya told the court that the accident occurred around 3am at the 277-kilometre peg along the Bulawayo–Beitbridge road. Ndlovu was driving a speeding South African-registered bus towards Beitbridge when he struck a donkey with the left side of the bus's bumper.
The impact caused the bus to swerve into the oncoming lane, where it collided head-on with the Toyota Fortuner. After the crash, the bus veered off the road, hit roadside bushes and eventually came to a stop on a nearby railway line.
The court heard that both vehicles sustained extensive damage, with the bus damaged mainly on its right side. The bodies of the deceased were taken to Beitbridge District Hospital for post-mortem examinations, while Ndlovu was also treated at the same hospital before his arrest following police investigations.
Source - the herald
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