Malawi army Brigadier kills pupil, injures another: Road accident
A senior Malawi Defence Force (MDF) officier has been charged with an offence of causing death by reckless driving after an official vehicle he was driving hit and killed on the spot a standard two child.
During the accident, the officier, Brigadier Namathanga, also injured 19-year-old girl who is currently in critical condition at Dedza District Hospital.
Dedza Police Spokesperson Edward Kabango said the accident occurred Wednesday night at a place called Dauya near Dedza Boma.
He identified the deceased as 13-year-old Jana Wabu and the survivor as Veronica Chiwala, 19. They both hailed from Kapesi Village, T/A Kachere in the district.
Chiwala is a form three student at Mchisu Community Secondary School and he sustained serious injuries in the head and her legs.
“The vehicle, registration number MDF 007, was coming from Blantyre going to Lilongwe and upon reaching a place called Dauya the driver hit the two as they tried to cross the road,” he explained.
Kabango said according to their investigations, the MDF solder was over speeding hence failure to control the wheel.
Brigadier Namathanga, 53, hails from Khanyera Village, T/A Jenala in Phalombe District and is expected to appear in court once Police conclude their investigations, according to Kabango.
The laws of Malawi regard the offence as one of the most serious contrary to section 126 (4) as read with section 136 of the road traffic act is a serious offence which attracts a maximum sentence of K600,000 fine or in default being jailed for 3 years with hard labour.
