MATSETSA TRAGEDY: TRUCK DRIVER FACES 7 COUNTS

MANZINI – The driver of the truck which caused a fatal accident that claimed four lives at Matsetsa last Friday faces a total of seven counts.

Four of the charges are of culpable homicide while the others are traffic related.

Mduduzi Mavela Dlamini (33) of Gundvwini, yesterday appeared before Lubombo Principal Magistrate Dumisani Magagula at the Siteki Magistrates Court. The principal magistrate released him after he paid E2 000 bail. Before he was admitted to bail, Dlamini informed the court that he would conduct his own defence during trial.

Dlamini, on the day of the accident, is alleged to have engaged a high or wrong gear while descending a steep hill with a loaded truck. He is further alleged to have failed to activate a parking brake after the failure of service brakes and to concentrate on his lane, as result, he drove on the opposite direction.

Other particulars of the accident are that Dlamini failed to consider a bus stop as a hazard, to take a proper lookout, to apply brakes on time and also to avoid an accident which a reasonable driver would have avoided.

The charge sheet states that in the first culpable homicide charge, Dlamini near Matsetsa SEC sub-station along Lonhlupheko-Ngogola MR3 public road, the accused, being a driver of a combination of a motor vehicle registered OSD 811 AL, an International truck pulling two trailers registered MSD 215 AL and MSD 214 AL, drove negligently and first side-swiped a Toyota RunX driven by Nkosinathi Magongo (30) of Siteki Good Shepherd Hospital, while overtaking it.

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