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By Blessing Dzamara
Chipo Zhento (26) is looking for fair justice after she was crippled at the age of 7 years in 2002 after being involved in a serious accident that occurred along First Street Road in Kuwadzana.
“The accident occurred in 2002, whilst I was on my way from school with my colleagues. My right leg was cut-off on the spot,” she said.
She said the accused person did not even contribute any meaningful support despite ferrying her to the hospital.
“I am hurt because I am under this condition because of someone’s negligence. The man who hit me with the car did not even render any assistance towards my treatment. I am the one who phoned him this month informing him that I am Chipo, his accident victim in 2002. Upon learning about me, he immediately blocked my cellphone number,” she said.
Chipo is a hard worker involved in the vending business in Kuwadzana. She stays in Mufakose and did her academic studies at Danhiko Project School where she excelled in sports. She has won several awards in rowing and other Olympics games.
She paid tribute to the police officer who managed to apprehend the accused person after a period of 20 years.
An investigating officer has confirmed the case. He is the one who resurrected it after feeling compassion for the victim who lost half of her right side body parts.
The initial investigating officer who connived with the victim’s father to sweep the matter under the carpet never knew that justice would be served one day
” Yes, everyone at our workplace knows Chipo since I came here in 2019. She made several follow-ups until my Officer in Charge finally searched the docket from archives,” the officer said.
It is very unfortunate that the police officer who was the investigating officer of that time died sometime around 2013 whilst the matter was still pending under case number CR 23/2002.
“The docket was referred to me recently after my Officer in Charge assessed and interviewed the complainant several times. They then gave me the task that should have been struck off the register considering that the matter occurred in 2002. According to police standards, a docket can be destroyed after a period of 20 years if the accused is not located and would no longer be an accused thereafter,” a traffic cop said.
From 2002 the accused person rented at more than 4 residential stands.
The cop also told this publication, “I located him through the Registrar General’s information and also went to Econet for inquiry. By that time, he supplied her uncle’s cell number, so the registrations had his uncle’s residential number, ” the investigating officer said.
The case took long before it was finalized because the accused had not supplied true personal details. There was no direct contact. Today, the investigating officer teamed up with 2 details and managed to apprehend him at his place of residence in Solomeo, Ruwa.
“Yes, I recall this case. It really happened in 2002 when I was driving a UD Nissan truck along First street in Kuwadzana,” the accused told this publication.
Eliot Chinomwaza, aged 44, who was the driver and also the accused, apologised to the complaint during the time of apprehension.
“It is so painful to meet the girl that I hit at the age of 7, surely without the grace of God, she would have died on the spot, since the situation was hectic, ” he added.
The accused also confirmed that he was an unlicensed driver when the accident occurred until he passed the VID road test in 2017.
“I was driving a truck along First Street when a bus coming from town crossed in front of me all of a sudden. In trying to avoid a head-on collision, there were three kids in uniform attempting to cross the road, and unfortunately, I hit this girl before as she was crossing the road,” Eliot said
The case was reported at Kuwadzana Police Station. It will be referred to Southerton Police Traffic Section.
“I did not expect to see police officers at my doorstep as I thought the case was over. It’s been 20 years back when this happened. The police officers who were investigating my case just told me to go back home and promised to call me for further management but from there I was not called anymore .”
In the same interview, this publication noticed that the accused person is now also living under a critical health condition. He developed a mild stroke in 2018 and has not yet recovered.
“During that time of the accident, surely I was an able-bodied man. The owner of those trucks had good money but as you see here, I have no hope of rendering any assistance towards her life since I also have the same condition that needs special care. It is now the duty of the Court to provide fair justice amongst both parties.”
Police officers used intricate investigative skills which incorporated several network providers, community informers. Data collectors initially gathered information from his relatives with the accused person’s mother admitting to knowing the accused’s whereabouts.
A three-police officer raid was carried out at the accused person’s hideout in Ruwa. The accused person used several houses as hideouts in Dzivaresekwa before fleeing to Botswana until his return five years ago.
He is crying out that had he settled the matter in previous years by now he could be a free man. The chickens have finally come home to roost as by the time of his arrest his former deep pockets had dwindled to an alarming level due to the curse imposed by his suffering victim.