Driver charged after fatal crash and seizure of 20 cannabis bags

Ncamiso Fugu Masilela, a 24-year-old driver from Mananga, faces six charges following a fatal accident on the Mafutseni-Mliba Public Road and the discovery of 20 bags of cannabis in his vehicle. He is charged with culpable homicide, possession of cannabis without a permit, failure to stop, failure to comply with a stop sign, driving an unroadworthy vehicle and reckless driving, according to the Times of Eswatini.

Masilela appeared on Tuesday before Principal Magistrate Florence Msibi at the Manzini court. The accident occurred on 16 October near the entrance to the Mbuluzi poultry farm on the MR5 road, when his Toyota Hilux collided head-on with a Renault Sandero. His passenger, Elina Jossias Checua, a 41-year-old Mozambican woman, died on 19 October at Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital.

According to a police report cited by the newspaper, officers had tried to stop the Hilux after noticing it was travelling at high speed and that suspicious cargo was protruding from its canopy. The driver allegedly fled, then made several U-turns before passing the police vehicle and colliding with the Renault. The impact then pushed the Renault into the officers’ car, while the Hilux overturned several times and scattered its cargo across the road.

The bags contained about 150 kilograms of cannabis, in breach of the Pharmacy Act. The reckless-driving charge includes allegations of zigzagging and overtaking on a solid line; both rear tyres on the Hilux were also worn, according to court documents.