City of Harare Sued for $250k Over ‘Grossly Negligent’ Budiriro Drowning

The City of Harare is facing a blistering $250,000 lawsuit and accusations of “criminal indifference” following the horrific death of a Budiriro resident who drowned in a sewage-filled excavation left completely unsecured by municipal workers.

The family of the late Saul Karakadzai, through their legal counsel Farayi Zuva of Bruce Tokwe Chambers, has issued a scathing letter of demand to the local authority. The document paints a harrowing picture of institutional failure, alleging that the city’s blatant disregard for public safety turned a routine footpath into a death trap.

On the evening of June 7, Karakadzai was returning home from work, walking along a well-trodden public path in Budiriro 3. He had no way of knowing that city employees had transformed the familiar route into a lethal hazard.

According to the legal filing, municipal teams had excavated a deep pit near a sewage pool but abandoned the site without a single barricade, warning sign, or safety light. In the dim light of 8:00 PM, Karakadzai fell into the unprotected sewage pit and drowned.

“The City of Harare breached its fundamental duty of care,” the lawyers asserted, highlighting that residents had every reason to trust the safety of a path they had used for years. The suit describes the site as a “dangerous condition” left intentionally exposed to unsuspecting pedestrians.

The fallout from the incident has already reached the courts. Three city employees—Moses Dicko, Tinei Chihwai, and Thomas Rwakatiwana—have been slapped with culpable homicide charges. A Harare regional magistrate recently denied them bail, reflecting the gravity of the alleged negligence.

While the city has reportedly initiated internal disciplinary measures, the Karakadzai family argues that the responsibility lies at the very top of the municipal administration. They are seeking $250,000 in damages for emotional trauma, loss of financial support, and the agonizing pain of losing a beloved son to a death that should never have happened.

The legal demand gives Town House just 14 days to settle the claim. Should the city fail to respond, the family has vowed to escalate the matter to a full-blown High Court battle.

As of the time of publication, the City of Harare has maintained a stony silence, failing to offer even a preliminary response to the allegations of negligence that have left a family shattered and a community in shock. This latest incident serves as a damning indictment of the city’s crumbling infrastructure and the apparent collapse of basic safety protocols within its departments.