HWANGE – A truck driver from Gokwe has been convicted of culpable homicide after his coal-laden vehicle fatally ran over an unidentified man who was sleeping underneath it at the Hwange Truck Stop.

Tavonga Ticharwa (43), of Nyaradza, Gokwe, was found guilty by Provincial Magistrate Ms Rumbidzai Kabasa and fined US$400 or, in default, will serve six months in prison.

The tragic incident occurred on the night of November 29, 2024, when Ticharwa, en route to Bulawayo with 30 tonnes of coal, stopped briefly at the 335km peg along the Bulawayo–Victoria Falls Road. Prosecutor Mr Wisdom Shava told the court that Ticharwa had exited the Freightliner truck to relieve himself, unaware that a pedestrian had crawled under the stationary vehicle and fallen asleep.

Upon returning, Ticharwa resumed his journey without inspecting beneath the truck, unknowingly running over the man, who died instantly. Police investigations confirmed the fatality, with blood stains found on the vehicle’s rear wheels. The body was taken to Colliery Hospital mortuary, and a post-mortem was later conducted at United Bulawayo Hospitals.

The State maintained that Ticharwa had acted negligently by failing to inspect the area around and beneath the truck before departure.