By Tinaani Nyabereka
Gweru Residents have called upon Gweru City Council to prioritise safety of workers following the tragic death of two council employees who suffocated inside a sewer manhole while attending to a blockage in Athlone suburb.
Though there was no official statement on what exactly caused the death of the two, sources said the victims inhaled toxic gases that were in the shaft.
Gweru City Council Spokesperson, Vimbai Chingwaramusee confirmed the incident and said thorough investigations will be made to make sure that no incident of a similar nature happens again.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce the tragic loss of two Gweru City employees who passed away whilst they were on duty in Athlone.
“The incident occurred when they were working on a manhole and unfortunately, they succumbed to gas suffocation. Our thoughts and condolences go to the families, colleagues and loved ones of the deceased.
“The local authority values the lives of the employees and residents and we take the safety of our workers very seriously. We will conduct a thorough investigation into this incident to ensure that measures are put in place to prevent such tragedy from occurring in the future. We really appreciate understanding and support during this difficult time,” she added.
However, there were mixed reactions from various stakeholders and the Gweru community which accused the local authority of negligence towards the welfare of council employees.
Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association (GRRA) director, Cornilia Selipiwe, said council was supposed to prioritize the welfare of workers.
“We are disheartened but going forward we need to have robust measures which speaks to the safety of our workers
“Remember these are the people who are on the ground and make things happen, there is need to start at their wellbeing, their salaries because they are the ones who are busy rendering services to the community.
“Why buy luxurious cars at the expense of workers who don’t have protective clothing, who don’t have salaries,” said Selipiwe.
One resident told TellZim News that proper procedures were supposed to be followed when attending to the sewer manhole.
“A manhole is a confined space therefore there are procedures that must be followed before entering including testing for gases which are toxic. So a thorough assessment needs to be done before you enter the manhole.
“Council is to blame because workers don’t have protective clothing like masks, for sewer gas, first things first there is need for detectors to check the level of gases and to detect toxic gases such as hydrogen, methane among others” said the resident.
