POLICE have laid charges of negligent driving against Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son, who was involved in a road accident along the Harare-Mutare Highway on Monday.

BLESSED MHLANGA

National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba told NewsDay that charges have been opened under case number CR 43/02/16.

 

“Samora Samuel Mnangagwa is being charged for contravening section 52(2) of the Road Traffic Act Chapter 13:11 [Negligent Driving] in Marondera,” she said.

 Charamba said when NewsDay called her office to verify the facts of the accident, police were not aware of Samora’s true identity.

“On reporting the road traffic accident, police attended the scene as per standard procedure. Samora Samuel did not have his driver’s licence on him and gave his particulars as Samora Samuel only,” she said in a statement.

“His exact and correct identity was revealed on February 17, 2016 when Samora Samuel brought his driver’s licence for production to police in Marondera as stipulated in the Road Traffic Act, Chapter 13:11.

“It was this juncture that the ZRP realised that the driver who had been involved in a road traffic accident on February 15, 2016 was actually Samora Samuel Mnangagwa.”

“This is why when NewsDay phoned Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba, she had no clue that the Honourable Vice-President’s son had been involved in a road traffic accident, because of the name that had been recorded at the police station.”

The police said the accident happened on February 15 at 3:30am when Samora Samuel, who was driving a Ford Focus vehicle along Harare-Mutare Road in the company of a female colleague, lost control of his car.

“On approaching the 60km peg, Samora Samuel lost control of the vehicle and encroached into the lane of a Tata 709 van, which was going in the opposite direction and being driven by Virtual Kaundura,” reads the statement.

The two vehicles were involved in a head-on collision, which caused Kaundura’s vehicle to move out of the road and overturn before landing on its roof. Samora Samuel’s vehicle swerved to the right side and then stopped while facing the southern direction.

“Two passengers were injured, one from Samora Samuel’s vehicle and the other from Kaundura’s vehicle.”