A tr@gic incident occurred in Hlabiso Village, Rusitu, Chimanimani, last Wednesday, resulting in the electrocution of two contract workers from Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution (ZETDC).
The victims, Givemore Maphosa and Erai Raimon, a 15-year-old Mozambican national from Mashiri Village in Maridheya, were working on repairs to a Lower Tension (LT) line connecting the Hlabiso main line to the Jozi homestead when the accident took place as reported by Manica Post.
According to Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka, the acting police spokesperson for Manicaland province, negligence has been highlighted as a key factor in the tr@gedy.
Reports indicate that the two workers were assigned their task by their manager, Tawanda Matsatswa, without proper safety precautions being taken to ensure that the power supply to the line had been turned off.
Details reveal that, on January 22, around 7 AM, Givemore and Erai were repairing the LT line where a nine-meter electrical pole had previously fallen.
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While they were digging a hole for the new pole, their supervisor, Matsatswa, left to procure additional manpower but failed to switch off the main power supply.
Although an electricity blackout had temporarily affected the area, power was restored while the workers were still engaged in their task.
Unfortunately, upon Matsatswa’s return, he discovered the lifeless bodies of the two workers on the ground.
They were still in contact with the power lines, and Matsatswa quickly switched off the power supply at the main line.
Matsatswa subsequently notified his employer, Mr. Richard Mushayanembeu, who reported the incident to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in Chimanimani.
When police and ZETDC officials arrived at the scene, they observed electrical burn marks on the hands and legs of the deceased.
The bodies were later taken to the Chipinge District Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination.
