HARARE – Three City of Harare employees died on Wednesday morning in a workplace incident at the Morton Jaffray Water Works near Norton, officials confirmed.
In a brief statement, the council said the trio had entered a decommissioned water clarifier “when tragedy struck.” It gave no details on the cause of death, saying an investigation was underway.
Council sources told ZimLive the workers “should not have been there.”
“The water clarifier is the settling tank where raw water from the lake is mixed with chemicals in a process called sedimentation,” said one official. “This one was out of use. It’s quite possible they were suffocated by toxic gases that built up over time, perhaps from the sludge. One worker went down first and called for help. The other two followed, but the gases, whatever they are, must have been overpowering.”
Two of the workers died at the scene. The third was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones affected by this devastating loss,” the city said, adding that water production and quality were not affected.
The incident comes barely three months after two City of Harare employees died while on duty at the municipality’s Glen View sewer treatment plant, in what was suspected exposure to hydrogen sulfide – a highly poisonous gas that smells like rotten eggs at low levels but deadens the sense of smell at higher concentrations. In confined spaces, it can paralyse the lungs within minutes.
Other gases commonly found in sewers – including methane and carbon dioxide – can displace oxygen and cause suffocation, while high levels of ammonia may lead to respiratory failure.
In November 2024, two council workers in Gweru’s Athlone suburb also suffocated after entering a manhole filled with noxious gases.
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