By A Correspondent- The trial of a truck driver, accused of trafficking two minor girls, continued with the truck being brought to court for inspection in loco.

James Mahachi appeared before trial magistrate Ngoni Nduna. The truck was brought to court after Mahachi denied trafficking the girls, saying the vehicle had cameras.

A security expert from Sabot, Allan Mufandaedza, said the truck doesn’t have cameras.

Mufandaedza is the fleet manager responsible for tracking.

He told the court that the truck had a tracking system only.

Quizzed by Mahachi’s lawyer why he was so sure that the truck didn’t have a camera, Mufandaedza said:

“The camera project is new and the very first fleet to be installed with cameras were the Zambian registered trucks followed by the South African registered trucks.

“The Zimbabwean trucks don’t have cameras yet. I work with these trucks everyday so the information is at my fingertips,” he said.

Allegations are that Mahachi kidnapped the girls, promising to pay their school fees when, in fact, he wanted to sexually exploit them.

The court heard that between September 2021 and March this year, Mahachi used an agent, Brighton Nyamandi, who is currently on the run, to recruit the two girls, aged 13 and 17 years, from Hurungwe.

He allegedly lied to the victims’ parents that he was going to send them to school and pay their fees.

But, he subjected them to sexual exploitation and also used them as free labour.

Mahachi allegedly took them to South Africa and would sleep with them in his truck.

He would allegedly threaten to dump them in the neighbouring country if they refused to sleep with him. One of the girls escaped and sought refuge at a nearby house where she narrated her ordeal to one Charity Munemo. Munemo assisted her in filing a police report.

Netsai Mushayabasa appeared for the State.

-H Metro