Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Felix Mhona has been ordered to pay a fine of ZWL 500 000 to a Chitungwiza resident as compensation for injuries sustained after he fell into an uncovered roadside trench at Mbudzi roundabout in Harare where government is spearheading road construction.
A Harare magistrate court found the state guilty of negligence for leaving the trenches uncovered and with no markings leading to Shepherd Chisiri’s fall and sustaining serious injuries.
On Tuesday it ordered that Mhona pay Chishiri ZWL506 949 broken down as ZWL200 000 in damages for pain and suffering, ZWL250 000 being damages for future medical expenses, ZWL50 000 for loss of social amenities in life and ZWL6 949 being special damages for medical expenses incurred.
However, Mhona, through his lawyers from the Attorney General’s Office told the court that he was not opposed to Chishiri’s application and would abide by the court’s decision.
The court also ordered Mhona to pay US$1 470 as special damages to cover some medical expenses which Chishiri incurred.
Chishiri was being represented by Tinashe Chinopfukutwa of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR).
Recently, social media have been awash with the issue of bad roads in the country and with the heavy rains consistent in the past few days, the situation has been made worse.
Passengers Association of Zimbabwe (PAZ) president Tafadzwa Goliath said that, “the state of the roads in Zimbabwe is very worrisome. Along seke road coming to Harare there are several potholes which are causing traffic jam.
“The ministry of transport must do something about this before many lives lost in roads,” said Goliath
