Kombi crew stone and hit passenger with vehicle for complaining about loud music

Loud_Music

Andile Tshuma Court Reporter
A COMMUTER omnibus crew allegedly stoned a passenger (58) and hit him with their vehicle, leaving him for dead, after he complained about loud radio volume, a court heard.

Elipio Garikai Chabata (27) of Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park and Emmanuel Biti (21) of Emakhandeni appeared on Monday before Western Commonage magistrate Mr Stephen Ndhlovu for attempting to kill Mr Thani Ngwenya of Cowdray Park.

Mr Ndhlovu did not ask them to plead and remanded them in custody to tomorrow.

Chabata and Biti attempted to negotiate with the magistrate to remand them out of custody, drawing chuckles from the gallery.

Chabata said: “Please consider that I have a pregnant wife and she is at an advanced stage and cannot cope alone. May I come to court from home on Thursday?”

The magistrate declined his request and Chabata negotiated further, before the magistrate asked prison guards to lead the duo out of the court.

“Okay, how about you grant us bail then. By the way, this man (Biti) was not there when everything happened, can he go then?” pleaded Chabata.

Prosecuting, Mr Kenneth Shava said on July 14 at night, Ngwenya boarded a commuter omnibus along 6th Avenue Extension.

Along the way another passenger, Faith Mandinganya, asked the kombi driver to reduce his volume as she needed to make a call. The driver allegedly refused.

Mr Shava said: “All the passengers started complaining about the loud volume and unfortunately they all disembarked first, leaving the complainant in the vehicle, with the crew.”

The court heard that near Mahlathini Primary School in Cowdray Park, the duo allegedly started attacking Ngwenya.

The prosecutor said: “The driver stopped the vehicle, went round to the passenger door and pulled out the complainant from the vehicle and together with his assistant heavily assaulted him using stones, bricks and fists several times all over the body until the complainant fell down.”

“The complainant tried to get up and stagger away. However, the driver got into his car and hit the complainant on the right side.”

Ngwenya sustained two deep cuts on the head and suffered a broken left arm. He was referred to hospital where a doctor’s medical report was obtained. — @andile_tshuma

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