Accused Murderer, former Minister Machaya’s son Perish in fatal Car Crash

A murder accused Shurugwi gold dealer Willard Mugadza and former Midlands provincial minister Jason Machaya’s son, Foster, died on the spot following a horrific road accident which occured along the Gweru-Mvuma Road last Tuesday, police authorities have confirmed.

Moses Tami, another passenger who was travelling with the deceased duo, sustained serious injuries from the accident and was rushed to Gweru Provincial Hospital for medical attention.

The accident occurred at the 43km peg along the Gweru-Mvuma Road at around 2340hrs last week Tuesday.

“They were in a car which was being driven by Machaya on their way to Gweru from Lalapansi. Machaya lost control of the vehicle and it overturned several times before landing on its wheels,” Inspector Joel Goko, who is police spokesperson for Midlands province, confirmed.

The now deceased Mugadza was facing murder charges, and was out on bail, amid allegations that he hacked his former employee Fabian Mabhungu to death following a misunderstanding over of missing gold ore with an estimated weight of 70 grammes.

On the other hand, the former minister’s late son Foster Machaya, together with his jailed brother Farai, were in March 2009 fingered in the murder of Moses Chokuda, who hailed from the small cotton-producing town of Gokwe.

Chokuda’s corpse remained uncollected from a Gokwe mortuary for two years as his family demanded compensation for the politicaly-motivated murder case which attracted national attention.

While Foster was eventually pardoned by the courts of justice, his brother Farai was slapped with an effective 18-year jail sentence, which he is currently serving.

Foster becomes the second son of the former minister to die in an accident in less than three years after a November 2017 horrific crash which claimed the life of Raphael Machaya, popularly known in Kwekwe as ‘Tsano Raphy’.

Agencies
Additional Reporting: Zwnews