A Harare man, Desmond Sinoia (51), who admitted to recklessly ramming into Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) commander General Phillip Valerio Sibanda’s car, has been jailed for 12 months.
Harare magistrate Barbra Mateko also banned Sinoia from driving for the next eight months.
The Harare Magistrates Court heard that on 23 August, just before 5 PM, Desmond was driving on a side road parallel to Samora Machel Avenue going towards Msasa with one passenger.
He failed to give way at the intersection of Samora Machel and Glenara Avenue and ploughed into the side of Sibanda’s Mercedes Benz driven by Mandlenkosi Mpofu.
General Sibanda was sitting at the back and on the left side which was impacted by Desmond’s vehicle.
Sibanda’s aide, Squadron leader Mark Pride Mangwende, was the other passenger in the Mercedes.
No one was injured in the crash but prosecutor Caroline Mutimusakwa – who argued for a custodial sentence – said General Sibanda was “almost killed”, adding:
Desmond wanted to plunge the nation into mourning by killing the commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.
He was negligent for failing to observe a regulatory provision, failing to give way at a Give Way sign, travelling at a speed that was excessive under the circumstances and failing to stop or act reasonably when an accident or collision seemed imminent.