Prosecutor Goitsimang Goerwang wants direct imprisonment to be imposed on a taxi driver who was found guilty of culpable homicide.
Goerwang told the Johannesburg Magistrates Court that this was a serious offence and every offence must be punished in accordance with its seriousness.
The driver, Mxolisi Ngobese was found guilty of culpable homicide by the court, following the death of Metro police officer Sandile Nkwanyana .
The court heard that Nkwanyana was on duty with another colleague on 15 March 2015, when he was hit by Ngobese’s taxi.
According to evidence led in court during the trial, Nkwanyana was busy conducting an Easter Operation, stopping and searching vehicles on Heidelberg Road in City Deep. While they were on duty, a taxi was spotted driving in the emergency lane and Nkwanyana tried to stop it.
The taxi driver swerved from the emergency lane into the middle lane, as the deceased tried to get him to stop again. This is when Ngobese’s taxi hit Nkwanyana and dragged the officer a few meters.
A backup Metro police officer gave chase and arrested the taxi driver. Nkwanyana was then rushed to hospital where he died on arrival.
When asked why he didn’t stop when he was directed to do so, the taxi driver told the officers that his brakes failed. The court heard that the brake failure was also confirmed by police experts who took the vehicle for testing.
Ngobese will be sentenced by Regional Magistrate Collen Matshitse on 30 October in the Johannesburg Magistrates Court.
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