“Death by Negligence”: ZimRights Demands Criminal Prosecution Over Budiriro Sewage Tragedy

HARARE – The Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) has called for the immediate criminal prosecution of City of Harare officials following a horrific incident in Budiriro 3, where an unsecured sewage excavation site became a “mass grave” for three residents.

The tragedy, which unfolded at a site known as KwaMiki, claimed the lives of a young girl, an elderly man, and a young man. The scale of the municipal negligence was laid bare when a rescue diver, initially searching for the young man, retrieved two other bodies from the mud-filled pool before finally recovering the third victim.

In a blistering statement released on Tuesday, ZimRights described the deaths as entirely preventable, accusing municipal authorities of “gambling with human lives.” The young girl had reportedly disappeared on Monday evening while running an errand to a local shop. The two other victims were also ordinary residents navigating their neighborhood when they were swallowed by the unmarked and unguarded pit.

“These were ordinary people going about the ordinary business of their lives. They were not warned. They were not protected. They were not considered,” ZimRights stated. “The City of Harare left an open sewage pool in a residential neighborhood and walked away.”

ZimRights emphasized that the Budiriro incident is not an isolated case but part of a systemic “pattern of death” linked to the City of Harare’s operations. The rights watchdog highlighted several recent fatalities that underscore a broader disregard for safety and human dignity:

The organization noted that occupational fatalities within the council’s water and sanitation department reached five in a single quarter last year, reflecting what the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission has previously termed a “troubling disregard for human dignity.”

ZimRights is demanding an independent criminal investigation to identify and prosecute those specifically responsible for the Budiriro site. Beyond legal action, the association has laid out a series of urgent requirements for the City of Harare:

Immediate Remediation: A city-wide audit and securing of all open trenches, manholes, and excavation sites with proper lighting, barricades, and hazard signage.

Transparent Compensation: Just and timely compensation for the bereaved families of both residents and workers, free from “bureaucratic delay or obstruction.”

Institutional Accountability: A shift from “hollow investigations and performative condolences” to substantive policy changes that prioritize the constitutional right to life.

“The blood on City of Harare’s hands demands accountability,” the statement concluded, urging that no more residents or workers should pay the ultimate price for municipal negligence.