A Harare commuter omnibus driver has been jailed for more than two years after dangerously ignoring a red traffic light at one of the capital’s busiest intersections, a ruling that has drawn attention to the courts’ toughening stance on reckless driving. The incident, which took place last month at the congested Simon Mazorodze Road and Remembrance Drive intersection in Mbare, sparked widespread public anger as passengers and other motorists narrowly escaped disaster.
On Monday, 15 September 2025, the Mbare Magistrates’ Court convicted the driver, identified as Mandava, of multiple traffic offences. The court was told that Mandava deliberately failed to obey a red traffic signal at the intersection, endangering dozens of lives in the process.
Magistrates handed him a two-year custodial sentence for reckless driving. In addition, he was given a further six-month jail term for driving without a valid licence. Alongside the jail time, Mandava was ordered to pay fines after it emerged that he had resisted arrest and lied about his identity. He was fined US$100 (about R1,800) for refusing to comply with police instructions and a further US$200 (about R3,600) for supplying false personal details during his arrest.
During his initial arrest, Mandava had attempted to mislead police officers by providing a fake name. However, routine checks revealed his true identity, resulting in further penalties.
One police officer close to the investigation told ZBC News:
“The driver initially gave us false information during his arrest. After further checks, his real details were confirmed, leading to additional penalties being imposed by the court.”
The attempt to deceive authorities was treated as an aggravating factor, demonstrating a deliberate effort to evade justice and further tarnishing his credibility in the eyes of the court.
Prison sentences for commuter omnibus drivers are still rare in Zimbabwe, where many offenders typically walk away with fines or community service. This case, however, represents a notable shift in the judiciary’s approach, as pressure mounts on authorities to address rising road carnage.
A regular commuter who uses the busy Simon Mazorodze route welcomed the ruling, telling reporters that kombi drivers have long been a law unto themselves:
“We have seen these drivers ignoring rules and endangering lives every day. Maybe now they will take the law seriously if jail is the consequence.”
The ruling comes amid a broader crackdown on reckless drivers. Just two months earlier, on 18 July 2025, another kombi driver, Paul Tsiga, was jailed for two years after being caught driving into oncoming traffic on the Harare-Bulawayo highway.
Similarly, on 5 September 2025, Harare motorist Ernest Ringisai Mauna received a two-year sentence and a lifetime driving ban after causing a fatal accident. These back-to-back cases suggest that the courts are setting new precedents to discourage reckless behaviour on the roads.
Reckless Kombi Driver Jailed for Ignoring Red Light in Harare
The judiciary’s tougher stance has been compared with the controversial case of popular musician Kudakwashe Hombarume, better known as Chillmaster. In April 2025, he was convicted of culpable homicide after his car fatally struck a pedestrian. Initially, Chillmaster was spared jail and sentenced to perform community service, a decision that drew outrage from road safety activists.
However, on 4 September 2025, the High Court overturned that decision, declaring the sentence “outrageous” and insisting that custodial sentences were necessary to address Zimbabwe’s alarming levels of road deaths. At his resentencing, Chillmaster was handed a driving ban of nine months — the minimum allowed under the law — despite being unlicensed at the time of the offence.
Zimbabwe has been grappling with shocking levels of road fatalities. Official figures show that in 2024 alone, 4,069 lives were lost in traffic accidents. President Emmerson Mnangagwa has previously raised concern about the human and economic cost of such tragedies, urging law enforcement agencies and the judiciary to act decisively.
Observers believe that the recent spate of prison sentences against reckless drivers reflects this new urgency. The courts, once criticised for leniency, now appear intent on sending a message that habitual disregard for traffic laws will no longer be tolerated.
For many in Harare, Mandava’s sentence serves as a cautionary tale to other kombi drivers, who have long dominated urban transport but are often accused of speeding, ignoring signals, and overloading vehicles.
Transport safety analyst Tendai Moyo noted:
“This is more than just a single case. It signals a turning point in how Zimbabwe deals with dangerous driving. If the pattern continues, we may see a significant reduction in road accidents.”
As public outrage continues over reckless drivers and the lives lost annually on Zimbabwean roads, Mandava’s imprisonment may be remembered as part of a broader push to restore discipline and safety in the country’s transport sector.
Source- iHarare
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