Electrocuted girl buried 

Nothando Vurayayi (6), the Beitbridge girl who was electrocuted in the presence of Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission Distribution Company (ZETDC) workers at her home, was laid to rest in her home village near Sosera Halt, Bikita, last week.

ZETDC reportedly paid the funeral costs including the coffin, food, hearse and a bus which ferried mourners who travelled from Beitbridge on  Nothando’s final journey.

Alaina Suliwa, ZETDC stakeholder relations executive, was not at liberty to share details of her organisation’s involvement, only saying a full investigation being carried out with other stakeholders is underway.

“All I can say at the moment is an investigation to establish the exact circumstance is ongoing. We will share details when the exercise has been completed,” Suliwa said.

A relative of the deceased said ZETDC officials joined them soon after the NewsDay story, but the initial meeting had to be moved to their office to avoid public anger.

“We ended up going to their office where they offered to meet all the expenses for the funeral, which they did. We buried Nothando in Vurayayi village near Sosera Halt and Pamushana Mission,” he said.

ZETDC workmen reportedly connected an earth cable to a water tap from which the late Nothando and her friend tried to drink water before she met her fate.

Her friend, who tried to pull her, was flung to a fence by electric power which was connected directly to test a faulty meter.

Soon after the accident ZETDC workers tried to rescuscitate the girl, who started going to school this year, to no avail.

They later took her to a doctor but she was pronounced dead on arrival.