By Audience Mutema

A Harare kombi driver was dragged to court Saturday to answer to murder accusations after allegedly hitting a pedestrian and later dumping him at an open space where he died of the injuries.

Tirivangani Stanford Madzoke (30), court heard on Monday, was driving a commuter omnibus belonging to Blessma Tours exactly a month ago when he pretended to be taking his victim to the hospital only to leave him for dead ahead.

“On the 17th of November 2018, the accused was driving a Toyota Hiace commuter omnibus along Chinhoyi and Bute Streets,” read the court papers outlining his offence.

“He hit the now deceased Christopher Muzawazi who wanted to cross the road. Upon realising that he had hit the now deceased, the accused stopped the commuter omnibus. Himself, his conductor and friend took the now deceased into their motor vehicle on the pretext that they were taking him to the hospital for medical attention since he was still alive.”

Instead of taking him to the hospital for medical attention, it is further alleged, the crew drove to an open space between Harare’s Kambuzuma 2 and Rugare suburbs where they dumped him and drove away.

According to court papers, the body of the deceased was discovered later in the evening by one Maria Sunday (48) who was coming from her field. She then alerted the police.

A post mortem conducted on the deceased established that death was due to “skull bone fracture and head injuries”.

Investigations were made and it was established that the now deceased was struck in a road accident by Madzoke whose identity was subsequently traced.

Madzoke was denied bail while his accomplices are still at large.