TheCable

Russell Goreraza, the eldest son of Zimbabwe’s first lady Grace Mugabe, has been convicted of manslaughter and fined $800 (£520).

Goreraza was driving along Samora Machel Avenue in Harare around 10 pm on February 23 when he knocked down an identified male pedestrian, who was crossing the same road.

The deceased died on the spot and Goreraza’s BMW windscreen was shattered while the bonnet got dented.

Prosecutors accused him of speeding and failing to keep a proper look out. He was also faulted for failing to stop or act reasonably when collision seemed imminent.

Goreraza accepted the verdict on Friday, saying that he earns between $2 000 and $3 000 a month and was going to pay the fine immediately.

“I regret and want to apologise for the incident,” he told the court.

After the sentencing, intelligence officers tried to prevent prison officers from taking him away to the cells to pay his fine.

He stayed inside the cells until the media outside had left, so he could avoid the cameras.

The magistrate said he had considered cancelling the accused’s licence and sending him to jail but opted for a fine because of his remorse.

Friends and relatives of Goreraza attended the hearing, but not the first lady, according to Brian Hungwe, a BBC correspondent, who was in the court.

Goreraza is Grace’s first son from her marriage to Stanley Goreraza, a diplomatic military attache.

Unlike his mother, he has steered clear of politics and has mining and farming interests.

Grace began a relationship with Mugabe while working as a typist in state house in the late 1980s.

They married in 1996 and have three children.