By Judith Nyuke
Three South African nationals were fined USD$200 each for obstructing traffic while investigating an accident scene at St Mary’s Bridge in Chitungwiza, where 17 people had died last month, without proper authority.
Cooper Daniel Colin (33) Pretorius Walter James Seymour (51) Germishuizen Danica (23) pleaded guilty to obstructing or endangering free movement of persons or traffic when they appeared before Harare magistrate Vakayi Chikwekwe.
They were fined US$200 each or spend four months in prison.
The State proved that on 20 August 2025, Seymour and Danica entered Zimbabwe from South Africa aboard a South African Airline and were issued with Business Visa by immigration.
Their purpose of visit was to investigate an accident crime scene at St Mary’s Bridge Chitungwiza where 17 people perished.
They teamed up with Colin and proceeded to the crash site where upon arrival they started marking the scrap marks using paint and tape measure.
In so doing, the three were obstructing the movement of traffic from Harare CBD to Chitungwiza thereby causing a traffic jam.
They were arrested by Chief Inspector Mapepa who was also driving his private car to Chitungwiza after asking them why they were performing the task without the assistance of Police in controlling traffic or without informing the local authorities and failed to give him a satisfactory answer.
