Hamis Sefu vs Umited Republic (High Court Criminal Appeal No. 121 of 1990) [1990] TZHC 88 (5 November 1990)

l , , • < Jr--.\ ~ o~~ 1n rr~'E r::ian cou11T oF rr1.1A- rt, v J r'- . J Nr DAil ES · SALAAM APPELLME JURISDICTION · IITGlI CO-LJRT CRIMINAL APPEAL NO 1 121 OF 12,0 (Froo originD.,l Trt£fio Cr,so· No3106 of 990 of tho Dist-riot Court . of Ilaln. District at Ki vukoni) Doforo: ICIW.t1.NGA Esq", Rosidont MagisJGrato IIAMIS SEFU •• ,.c,,,, •• •••••••••• ...... i. .. ••••••• .. •••••••APPELLMT · ( Oric,i.11al Acousod) vor:sus I TIIE UNITED ilE?UDLICu,t••···••u•uu .............. ~ .. I .nESPONDENT · (Orinal l?rosocutor) JUDGMENT LUGA!{INGirui. J, 1, The ppollont si Sofu ploadod guilty to tho offonco of doing a. noc,-ligont aot contra:ry to s_.233(g) of tho Po11, .. ".l C,o_do and was upon conviction sontoncod to six nonths• inprisonoont• Ile now appeals agc:,inst that conViction and· scntonco clair.ling that his plea was not unoCJ:1.,tlyoocl nnd that tho sontcnco was of'.11if'ostly cxc.ossivo and harsh. Thora is ocrit in ho conplaint aeainst conviction• After '. tho appellant plorulod to tho charc-o with tho word_ ' 1 Tl'Uo 0 , tho proso- cutor a.clduood no fMts in support thoroof • Eo rosorlod to tho old . . . gano, which hc'1s aJ.wa.rs b.ccm ·condeunod by ti.is Court, of J,'"of erring · tho trial. court to the charge shoot. For tho bonof'i t of tho oso.cutor and tho trial nDc:;istratc wp.o 2.l'c probabq· no I will ro.poa.t that whoro conviction is lilcl,y. to ].)l,'ocoocl o?). a guilt,-' pc.1 ~ t is 11ecoscX!1' o nq.to ip.. i tho fMts consti tuti)'.lg tho offonco so n.s to bring- out ._ . ' ·- thg gMtm'li13. volew..4 M4 'fihr,m t.g ~~ tho npo94 to bf?.ppt o:i, clg ti1ll:lQ faAt!3+ TlrJ1abit Of ·tlol,- !.'Cf~ tho GptlJ.'t "f,Q e p~~tWP . !3A@t :i.!3 l,a.Q!3!3 c~~- 1,1ndors:i,rabl(3 d shou.ld: noVGr bo g~~~FtiaA:ne91 Qμa;rgq §§t!3 o ~~ bo~~ sμonics 1 jμ cl,osi;;11,od to 2¥14.cae t9g r:>.ffa.nQ9f mit :mrl;; g~~,- ii4W_ - gμt 1ie li i;:;gap pf ffi98HFf@e= miitl@ ve.irl 1 t~~M.f.wer-14 t4!:l ?,l'f-¥ .en 1'!W:Pfl t~~ ~~ r'f'ittlPRt ffi . . -·· tJa.g iP-t~~ qμJ'qurtapps, PAd W. t.h8 n.b':3¥.ee 0 ! [;, Mt R~~t.!pn Rf tR9 • < < fi;s bf tho !)rosooutor a convictio~ ba;soA o~ ~ i..tit J?lfcl: =i:,~ tff.8 te @ @<i! ·. :i:n tt :i:mrt?P PA!=l t~@ P~?lf~A !19e:fi 1f1. ~BBB "'= 8fB fqr, a§ i mJl !We§@t\r- D.:8Wp it ;;i.:q.l?o PcJ!~~eJ."S the..t, 11AA ft8 rGlcvanoc to hG offoncp ha.rged• it follows tht by supposedly MCopting ' • ~ ,l those pax1iculs the appellant _qJcl .noi ;plcac ~~ ·tlia offcncoe · .,, ~- . ' ., ! I \ i , . f I

The offonco under s,.233(g) is couched ih the £ollowing toros:. 2-.53 0 'f'iX!y person who in a r.innncr so ro.sh or n0Gli1ortt as to Gnd[',tlg'er hut.1@ iifo or to be lilrnly ;(iO ca.use hnr-n to cl'iy other porsan ... (g) does ru.w et with respect tb, or onits to take propci poco.utions ciginst DllY probable danger froo a:zy nachind~-of which ho i~ soi~:cy or Partly in chnrGe; ···••tt••···· ! . ts guilty of rin offonoo. . - On thd other hcilc~ th~ pbirticulo,rs of offonoo woro set out in those toros ( ovar1thiriG e1,s por oricr:isho.l) c Tho person chn.rcrod. on tho 26th clDY at ll:ui,"l.lst 1990 nt alJout 11 ilr's · n.lone; !-1l;:t,u'l{,i.1hi Streat Knxiclroo m'Ot?. within Ilc:'J.a Di:,r:.-riot. in D 'Snla..10 Region 1)oing tho bus conck..oto.r. and inchn.rge pf ·ootor vehicle rocistr~;~iol'l No.TZ 97237 -· neke Tata, bus did do a. neeleG<m t Act Noe wit ho ~od one Tui:iaini s/o ICitvnc'.u a. pc.sse- 1 - . 11£01' who wM enbrl' :ontt in the snicl' i:1ot vchiclo n..'1.d cmsod hin 1Jodily injuries. Those partiou1m,,s soon to sey that tho appellant, :)oin[; a conductor on n bus TZ 97237:, pushed off TuoD.ini as· the latter WM or.1barlcing tho said buse It will now bo oollod thnt s.233(t:;) :ref.em to 11 L1[1.0hinory'' roicl is directed to persons sololy ·or partly in chriri;e of such oncl-:inoxy • In the light of this .Mr• Mc."..tupa who appeared for- tho Republic wo1td0red whether a bus was I ; .. "machinery" ancl whether the appellant, not bc:i.nc tho c"J:r:ivo:r but a conductor, was in chnrce of- the bus TZ 97237. I nood consiclar only tho fornor: question and gencrr:lly whether tho partiou].c:,zs in tho chro:go sheet doscribod tho of:f'enco imclor. s•233(es ). As fc:x- as I could gathe:r the tern ''tia,0hine:ryr 1 · is not clefined in the Penal Codo, 1mt, proceeding aliunde, one could so.±'oly say that so far as para, ( G) of s .233 is concerned, the torn excludes ;:,., no tor vehic lo• I say- so bocauso w).'..e:r:e the legislature so intended it specifically nade roferenco to vehicles in P<'.rclo ( 2.) which oclces it rui offence for &f3' person who in a

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• 3 - nannor· so rnsh or noglicont c'..S to cril.dntiger hunt-n 11.f'e or to bo likotv' .·' ' j to causG hc'U'J:l to any other person 11 dxivos arzy- velUicle or rides oh My , . pUblic wey. 11 Yet it cnnnot bo said that. tfvobiolo 11 c.s· is referred to in p~"a• (e.)° is .,GJ1G sane as or includes "any ne.chinory,; as is roforrod to tn··pa.ra. ·(6) 1Jcoauso, by ·nocesky· iplication, -'&lo vohi.clo in pa;r~ 9 (a) oust be. :ud;cmdocl or adapted for propulsion -on tho ro.w.• . On tho same .. i-oasonine "~ i.1D.Chi.no~ 11 in p£'.l'r., (cr) cannot. incluc1o n vohiclo bocauso tho latter cannot· hc'.1.VG diff'oront noanings in tho SC'LlO soot ion of tho Ponal Coclo1 It follows, thorcfora, th..1,t a bus. is not onohinery as is rotorrod to in para. (g),. . Thero is o. second le~ to tlli..tof oblec. · Wo hava soon that tho ootiplaint C'.l;·r-.mst tho a.ppollnnt wo.s 1 being a oonduoto~, ~ ho pushod . Tw:laini o.s tho latter was cmdoc.vouring to board tho n.ppollant•s bus• It · will be seen, howevor, that tho offence under pr-.ra, (a) docs not 01msi~ in doinG rlW'f:hing to tho person of nnother; it consists in doing any- ac~ •:'.with rospoot to, o:i: o.oi ttill{s to take proper proomtions against arr:, · ·probable dQllger fron,qn.y O..'\ChinQ of' 't•rhich tha offondor _is ·soois, or · partl,y in oliar-Ge• In other words, this offenco rnsos from tho opora.tion, . .. ' . . . .. ' oaro or f.k1.i11tonanoo of the · no.chinory i tsolf anc.l he,g nothing wha.tso·ovor to do with tho troctuorit or hrinc1.:ling of tho hur.icll'l person; so that avon if a bus werG i:iaohincry, 'which f sey it is t1ot, the o:?fence ·would not consist in pushil'l(; e, pn.sseng-or therEifroo but in tho operc.tion or oaintonanoe of · the bus i tsolt', These brief rencll"ks ?.:t'O sufficient to show Jlihat tho chnrgo was oomplotel.}r r.ti.sconceivod as it purported to apply a SGt of fa.eta to an ontire:cy" inappropriate offcmco 6 Tho particult'l"S of offence, naooly pUshing: b. passOl'luer fron 1:', bus, hacl no rolovanoo to the offenoa under· para. (g) and tho appellant's -plea to tho offonoe &iounted to no plea; a.t° all. I-'i; is indeed unnocossrxy to add that in tho cirOW!lstancos of this oase tho position would not bo different oven if the prosooutor.- had narrated tho facts rather than roforl'i:ng the trial court to tho charge sheet. They still would hn.vo bean fncts irrelevo.n.t to para.. (g) and any c·onction would havci been equally unlawful• ·For o.ll I cn.n ga.thor, tho . ·, conduct cooplained of could possi1J'.cy support a cb.....xe;a under se234 which penalises unl6..w.ful acts and oi:rl.ssions, not otherwise falling under· s.233, by· hioh hro:n is catised'to - pcn-son. I ·corclinG]y aliow th.a appeal and ~ ~~ }.1.f'oood.ing in ·its entirety.· t d@Mr ii ~~ ·μ13vh.@l.@f:l bg <:>qs 0 !'¥-E1- 1:1½~~ 11 a.pp++~~ <-lPP ✓ ~~f:l to be onQ of those Sp,Va£;0S who vc:w.ue nnoy MOVO l:."'l'l life. Thero aro ;eports which this .Court cannot ignore .. 0f schoolc!tllc:h<en being thrown fron

. , , , buses l)y co11ductors because these chilclron Cr.lmot · e.iford a fare that · oocts tha opo:rators' appetite for nonoy 0 Ono suspects that Tumaini Wc'.,8 suoh [',, victin; at ony r2..to his. life wns 0nclo,;nc;ei'ed in pa;r:allol circuosk:noos, I1 ey viow such charc',Ctor.s <'..S tho c'.PPollant should., whon oonviotod, lJc pu.'1ishocl without nercy · r.i.nc.l i1t _this light I consider inad.oquc,·,.:o the ,two months ·a1rcncly served by -'.;he ri,ppelbnt 0 I thoroforo direct th<'..t ho be retrjod under s234 t'lld, if conv:i.ctod, bo punishod o.ccorcli11G1Y. Dar es Snl<'..rin 5/11/90 Appcllont prosont in prRon Mtupc for Ilospondonto l ~ d ICS 6 ~~LT ~~; JUDGE 5/11/1990