Harare,  (New Ziana) – A 29-year-old commuter omnibus driver has been found guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced to two years behind bars following a deadly road traffic accident which claimed the life of a passenger.

The Harare magistrates court handed Blessmore Nyakasoka a 36-month prison term, but conditionally suspended 12 months, leaving him to serve an effective 24 months in custody.

In addition to the prison time, the court revoked his driving privileges for vehicle classes 2 and 4, and imposed a two-year driving ban.

The tragic incident occurred on January 7 this year along Nemakonde Road near the Suffolk area in Harare when Nyasoka lost control of the Toyota Hiace commutter omnibus and swerved into the path of oncoming traffic.

This resulted in a head-on collision with a Honda Fit being driven by Respect Mawadzi and multiple passengers sustained injuries in the crash.

One of the passengers, Crusoe Kundishora Rukodzi, succumbed to his injuries nearly a month later on February 2 while receiving treatment at Parirenyatwa Central Hospital.

A post-mortem report confirmed his death was directly caused by injuries sustained in the collision.

The prosecution attributed the accident to Nyakasoka’s reckless conduct, citing his high speed, lack of attentiveness, and failure to stay in his lane as key contributing factors.

New Ziana