A taxi driver from Kuruman, Aobakwe Molapisi, has been sentenced to five years direct imprisonment by the Kuruman Regional Court.
Molapisi was charged with six counts of culpable homicide with the use of a motor vehicle.
Mojalefa Senokoatsane, regional spokesperson of the National Prosecution Agency, said this sentencing on Thursday, 10 November, follows an incident in August 2012 when Molapisi was driving passengers from Batlharos village to Kuruman town.
On the R31 Hotazel Road, Molapisi encountered a stop-and-go, and shortly thereafter the accident occurred.
When the vehicle in front suddenly stopped, the accused was forced to brake. However, he swerved into the oncoming-traffic-lane to avoid a collision, and it was in that lane where the accident occurred.
Senokoatsane said statements were taken from passengers, who later became state witnesses.
The accused also made two warning statements to the police, wherein his version of events was similar to those of the state witnesses.
However, he then made another statement alleging that his vehicle had suffered a tyre burst.
In the court proceedings, the state called an expert witness who is a road-accident-reconstruction-expert. The expert indicated that the version of the accused’s account of events was not supported by the physical evidence as there were no road-markings on the road surface that would accompany a sudden tyre burst, as alleged by the accused.
During the trial, the accused testified in his defence, wherein he was confronted with the fact that his version of events does not correspond with the physical evidence, nor does it correspond with the version(s) of the state witnesses.
After a lengthy trial, wherein the prosecution called six witnesses and the accused also testified, the court found the accused guilty as charged.
When sentencing the accused, the court remarked that the accused made a huge faux pas by making two warning statements to the police and then disowning his first statement, which accorded exactly with the evidence of the eyewitnesses before the court.
This was especially applicable to taxi drivers who had an extra burden to keep their passengers safe.
All counts were taken together for sentencing and the accused was sentenced to undergo five years of direct imprisonment with the provision of Section 276(1)(i) of the Criminal Procedure Act being applicable.
