Aron Mushaukwa
Katima Mulilo-Thirty-three-year old Chilinda Lilotoli, who was driving a Toyota Noah with the registration number N5229KM that overturned on the Linyanti-Sangwali road near Kikiya village in Sibbinda Constituency of the Zambezi Region on Monday, killing five people, was denied bail when he made a brief appearance in the Katima Mulilo Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Lilotoli faces eight charges – five of which are charges of culpable homicide, and one charge each for driving without a legal licence, driving with a counterfeit licence and overloading.
According to a police report, Lilotoli was travelling from Linyanti to Katima Mulilo with 10 passengers in a vehicle authorised to carry only seven passengers.
The police say Lilotoli drove with a tyre puncture for a distance of about 790 metres, before he lost control of the vehicle, resulting in it overturning and claiming the five lives. Three died on the spot while the other two died on their way to the hospital at Katima Mulilo.
When the police arrived at the scene they established the vehicle was carrying eight passengers. But late that evening it was discovered the vehicle had ten passengers on board. The other two who sustained minor injuries rushed themselves to hospital before the police arrived on the scene. The case was postponed to May 3 to allow for further investigations and for Lilotoli to apply for legal representation. Vicent Nzaca was the magistrate while Astrid Hewicke appeared for the state.