A 33-year-old man from Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park suburb died Monday after being run over by an earth-moving machine (dozer) which he was being tested on, police have said.
“Police in Bulawayo received a report that on the 26th April 2021 at around 1000hrs, a fatal incident involving an earth moving machine (Dozer) occurred in Bulawayo, where a male adult was killed,” said provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Abednico Ncube in a statement.
“Circumstances are that the now deceased, Tutukani Mlotshwa, a male adult aged 33 years residing in Cowdray Park, Bulawayo was being tested on his earth-moving operating skills so that he could be employed as an earth-moving machine operator. The machine suddenly stopped, as he was operating it.”
Inspector Ncube further explained: “He got out of the operator’s seat and opened the engine cabinet. He started reviving the machine and it suddenly started moving again. He lost his balance and fell from the wheel where he was standing and was pulled under the machine. The dozer then crushed him beneath its wheels and continued moving on its own.”
He said Mlotshwa who sustained multiple body injuries was ferried to the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) where he was certified dead upon arrival.
“His body was conveyed to UBH mortuary for post mortem,” said Inspector Ncube.
“The cause of the death was due to negligence by the now deceased and the case will be investigated as sudden death. It is regrettable that life was lost through an incident that was avoidable. We urge our general public to be cautious when operating machines as they are not predictable anything is possible.
