News / Regional
Zanu-PF MP appears in court for negligent driving
01 Apr 2014 at 07:20hrs | Views
THE Member of Parliament for Mangwe constituency, Obedingwa Madlala Mguni, appeared in court yesterday charged with negligent driving after he rammed into a moving tractor and injured the driver.
Mguni, a prominent businessman from Malungwana Village, pleaded not guilty to the charge before Western Commonage magistrate Temba Chimiso and was remanded out of custody on free bail to April 4.
Yesterday, the State called two witnesses, Zebediah Ngwenya and his wife Nothando Ngwenya, the owners of the tractor that Mguni hit with his Ford Ranger vehicle on November 9 last year.
Zebediah came to the court in crutches as he could not walk properly after sufferng a pelvic fracture and back injuries. Prosecutors say he was thrown off the tractor because of the impact of the accident.
Zebediah and Nothando gave contradicting versions on the events leading to the accident with the husband saying he did not see any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction while Nothando said she saw lights of vehicles although they were from a distance.
"I saw flashing lights of vehicles coming from the opposite direction but they did not reach the accident spot, meaning they were very far," she said after being asked if she saw any vehicles coming from the opposite direction.
For the defence, Thandaza Masiye-Moyo of Hwalima, Moyo and Associates said: "May I put it to you that you are contradicting your husband? Your husband said he didn't see any vehicles approaching from the opposite direction and you are saying you saw lights of vehicles coming from the opposite direction."
Nothando also told the court that there was no reflective material tied to the tractor plough, contradicting her husband who said he had tied a red cloth at the back of the plough.
However, the couple concurred that the vehicle driven by Mguni was speeding and that they did not hear any application of brakes or hooting before the impact.
The State, through Tony Kamudyariwa, alleges that on November 9 last year around 8PM, the legislator was driving a Ford Ranger State vehicle when he was involved in a road accident.
He failed to see a tractor that was in front of him and rammed into it. As a result of the impact, Zebediah and Nothando were thrown off sustaining injuries.
The State will seek to prove that Mguni failed to keep a proper look out, failed to stop or act reasonably when the accident seemed imminent and failed to control the vehicle under the circumstances.
On resumption of trial the State is going to call two more witnesses.
Mguni, a prominent businessman from Malungwana Village, pleaded not guilty to the charge before Western Commonage magistrate Temba Chimiso and was remanded out of custody on free bail to April 4.
Yesterday, the State called two witnesses, Zebediah Ngwenya and his wife Nothando Ngwenya, the owners of the tractor that Mguni hit with his Ford Ranger vehicle on November 9 last year.
Zebediah came to the court in crutches as he could not walk properly after sufferng a pelvic fracture and back injuries. Prosecutors say he was thrown off the tractor because of the impact of the accident.
Zebediah and Nothando gave contradicting versions on the events leading to the accident with the husband saying he did not see any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction while Nothando said she saw lights of vehicles although they were from a distance.
"I saw flashing lights of vehicles coming from the opposite direction but they did not reach the accident spot, meaning they were very far," she said after being asked if she saw any vehicles coming from the opposite direction.
Nothando also told the court that there was no reflective material tied to the tractor plough, contradicting her husband who said he had tied a red cloth at the back of the plough.
However, the couple concurred that the vehicle driven by Mguni was speeding and that they did not hear any application of brakes or hooting before the impact.
The State, through Tony Kamudyariwa, alleges that on November 9 last year around 8PM, the legislator was driving a Ford Ranger State vehicle when he was involved in a road accident.
He failed to see a tractor that was in front of him and rammed into it. As a result of the impact, Zebediah and Nothando were thrown off sustaining injuries.
The State will seek to prove that Mguni failed to keep a proper look out, failed to stop or act reasonably when the accident seemed imminent and failed to control the vehicle under the circumstances.
On resumption of trial the State is going to call two more witnesses.
Source - chronicle
