Harare Residents Trust urges probe into Budiriro trench deaths
Harare Residents Trust urges probe into Budiriro trench deaths
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The Harare Residents Trust (HRT) has called for an independent investigation after three Budiriro 3 residents were found dead in an unsecured, waterlogged excavation left open during sewer line repairs by City of Harare workers.
In a press statement dated 8 June 2026 and authored by HRT representative Precious Shumba, the organisation described the February 2026 deaths as “a crisis of negligence, not an accident”, arguing that the incident was preventable and reflected wider failures in public safety and infrastructure management.
The statement says the bodies were retrieved from an excavation that was “left open and unmarked” during sewer line works. The HRT said it does not view the incident as an isolated event and linked it to other reported cases in which open trenches or sewer hazards have allegedly caused injuries or death in Harare’s high-density suburbs.
Among incidents cited, the HRT referred to the death of a child in 2024 after falling into an open, unguarded sewer line in Dawnview, opposite Crowborough. The statement names the child’s father as McDonald Majoka, a council worker, and alleges the child’s body was later recovered at Crowborough Sewerage Treatment Works.
The organisation also cited longstanding sewage discharge problems in Kuwadzana 6, and said Mbare National Ward 11 councillor Felix Chabuda has repeatedly pushed council teams to cover pits and trenches dug during maintenance, alleging some jobs are abandoned while excavations remain open.
HRT further referenced the death of Clara Ngombengombe of Chihota Street, Mbare National, alleging she died after falling into an open trench left on Madzima Street during sewer pipe works, sustaining head and back injuries.
In the statement, the HRT said similar hazards have been “reported and documented” in Glen Norah, Glen View, Budiriro, Highfield and Mbare, arguing that “the pattern is undeniable” and calling for action beyond Budiriro 3.
The organisation’s demands include a “thorough and independent investigation” into the Budiriro 3 deaths, and it urged that responsibility should be examined from the worksite level to supervisors and departmental leadership. The HRT reiterated a call for the Zimbabwe Republic Police to charge “all responsible council officials with culpable homicide” and said affected families should be compensated.
It also called for a broader assessment of the City of Harare’s infrastructure safety record, including an audit of open pits, trenches and unrepaired sewer and water infrastructure across high-density suburbs, coupled with urgent remedial action where hazards are found.
Shumba’s statement referenced Statutory Instrument 170 of 2025, which gazetted Minimum Service Delivery Standards Indicators under the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works. The HRT said these standards are legally binding and called for the City of Harare’s Water and Works Departments to be overhauled to align with the instrument.
The organisation further urged the city to introduce “clear, functional, and time-bound mechanisms” for responding to residents’ reports of burst pipes, collapsing infrastructure and open excavations, saying communities have raised concerns repeatedly without action.
On worker safety, the HRT said the council should provide adequate personal protective equipment, proper tools and comprehensive workplace safety training. The statement cited the deaths of two council workers at Firle Sewerage Treatment Works in September 2025, alleging they suffocated in gas chambers amid workplace safety compliance failures and that workers had been protesting over a lack of protective equipment and clothing.
The HRT extended condolences to the families of the three Budiriro residents and encouraged them to pursue litigation against the City of Harare, stating that families are entitled to compensation and that the organisation is prepared to support them.
For media enquiries, the statement provides HRT contact numbers 0772869294 and 0772380927, and directs the public to its Facebook page, Harare Residents Trust (HRT).
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