By Kudakwashe Kutinyo

A truck driver was found guilty of culpable homicide after his coal-laden vehicle rolled over and killed a man who was sleeping underneath it at the Hwange Truck Stop.

Tavonga Ticharwa (43) from Nyaradza, Gokwe, was convicted of culpable homicide for the death of the unidentified victim by Provincial Magistrate Rumbidzai Kabasa.

According to prosecutor Wisdom Shava, on November 29, 2024, around 10pm, Ticharwa was driving a Freightliner truck loaded with 30 tonnes of coal from Victoria Falls to Bulawayo with no passengers on board.

During a brief stop at the Hwange Truck Stop, Ticharwa got out to relieve himself, unaware that an unknown pedestrian had crawled under the truck and fallen asleep.

Ticharwa got back into the truck, started the engine, and drove off without checking underneath the vehicle, tragically running over the sleeping man, who died instantly.

Police at the scene noted bloodstains on the truck’s three left rear outer axle wheels. The victim’s body was taken to Colliery Hospital mortuary, where a post-mortem examination was later con-ducted at United Bulawayo Hospitals.

The State argued that Ticharwa was negligent in failing to properly inspect around and under the vehicle before driving off.

The court ordered the truck driver to pay a US$400 fine, with an alternative sentence of six months in prison if the fine is not paid.