Tafara residents get electric shock after nearby cables break
By Tererai Karimakwenda
11 December 2006

Residents in the Tafara high density suburb of Harare have had no consistent running water for over 3 years now and have been struggling with random availability. Last week the situation got worse when electric cables under a local pub snapped and exposed live wires to a wet environment. Our resident Tafara contact reports that many people got very strong electric shocks when they touched water taps and other metal appliances. She said no warning was issued by local council officials or the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), which is responsible for power supplies and repairs.

Our contact said the local council told residents to report the problem to ZESA. But numerous calls to the power company by many yielded no results. The electric shocks went on for about 7 days before anything was done. Information on the danger was spread by local activists who told residents to make sure they wore shoes with rubber soles. No major injuries were reported but some Tafara residents who had open wounds told our contact the shocks were so strong they were thrown to the ground.

Our contact has also been monitoring the availability of running water. She said there are still no regular hours when the water is turned on and people are relying on unsafe water from a little stream in an area called “kwa Gosden”. This stream flows through Mabvuku and is reported to be so polluted that human waste can be seen floating on the surface. Our contact said the dead body of a child was found in the stream earlier this month. The naked body of a dead adult male was also discovered nearby the week before last.

Water and power problems have been at a critical level countrywide for years now as the relevant authorities failed to secure foreign currency for spare parts and repairs. They have also been riddled with corruption and mismanagement. The International Monetary Fund recommended that the government privatise the parastatals as part of an effort leading to economic recovery. But none of the measures it urged have been put in place.