HARARE – A court has ordered power utility ZESA to pay a combined US$66,000 in damages to two children who suffered severe electrical burns after coming into contact with low-hanging power lines.
The compensation orders were issued by Bulawayo High Court judges Justice Evangelista Kabasa and Justice Mphokiseng Dube against the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), a subsidiary of ZESA.
The two lads, aged 11 and 14 and both from Mangwe in Matabeleland South province, were electrocuted on May 18, 2022, after encountering dangerously low-hanging electricity cables.
The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), through lawyer Prisca Dube, represented the children in separate legal actions against the power utility.
ZETDC had denied liability and also described the damages claimed as excessive. However, on January 15, 2026, Justice Dube ruled in favour of the 11-year-old and ordered the power utility to pay US$50,000 in damages within two months.
In the second case, the 14-year-old sustained serious burns and was initially treated at St Anne’s Hospital in Brunapeg before being transferred to United Bulawayo Hospitals, where he underwent surgery on his right arm.
Medical assessments found he had suffered a permanent disability rated at 32 percent.
After summons were filed on August 8, 2024 seeking US$52,000 in compensation, ZETDC again denied liability and challenged the damages sought. On January 14, 2026, however, the company offered a settlement, stating the amount represented the maximum covered by its insurance policy.
The settlement was accepted by the minor’s parents, and on January 22, 2026, Justice Kabasa ordered ZETDC to pay US$16,000 within 60 days.
The ZLHR said it assisted the two boys as part of its anti-impunity work aimed at promoting accountability and discouraging human rights violations by state-run institutions.
The organisation added that it has, over several decades, pursued similar cases against ZESA and secured compensation for numerous victims of negligence.
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