Drunk kombi driver banned for life, jailed two years over reckless overtaking crash

A 43-year-old Harare motorist has had his driving licence cancelled and been permanently banned from driving all classes of motor vehicles after being convicted of reckless driving and driving under the influence of alcohol.

The Chinhoyi Magistrates’ Court handed Miro Godknows Maringisi an effective two-year custodial sentence following the reckless incident. The court sentenced Maringisi to 24 months’ imprisonment for reckless driving alongside a concurrent 24-month term for drink-driving, resulting in an effective two-year jail term.

The state’s case established that on 6 October 2026, at about 3 PM, Maringisi was driving a Toyota Hiace passenger service vehicle loaded with door frames and doors on its roof along the Harare–Chirundu Road in Chinhoyi.

Upon approaching a traffic light-controlled junction, Maringisi attempted to overtake a stationary truck waiting for a green light by swerving onto the left side of the road. In doing so, he sideswiped the truck, causing damage to its left side-view mirror.

Attending police officers suspected Maringisi was intoxicated given the erratic nature of the collision. A subsequent breathalyser test revealed an alcohol concentration of 417 milligrams per 100 millilitres, vastly exceeding the legal limit.

Following the court ruling, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) warned against drink-driving, stressing that alcohol impairs judgement, slows reaction times, and increases the risk of road accidents, thereby endangering drivers, passengers, and other road users.

The NPA reiterated that motorists who drive while impaired will face the full force of the law.