Family slaps Harare Council with US$150 k lawsuit after daughter drowned sewage
By Agencies
A grieving Budiriro family is demanding US$150,000 from the City of Harare after their 17-year-old daughter drowned in a sewage-filled excavation pit that allegedly sat open and unguarded for months in a residential area, with lawyers for the family issuing a 14-day ultimatum
Talita Munda died at the site a five-metre-long trench that had filled with sewage water and turned into a death trap in the middle of a residential neighbourhood.
Her father, Itai Munda, has given the city council 14 days to pay the compensation. His lawyers, Maseko Law Chambers, have threatened court action if the city fails to respond.
The tragedy has already led to the arrest of three municipal workers Moses Dicko, Tinei Chihwai and Thomas Rwakatiwana who face culpable homicide charges. A magistrate denied them bail, citing “serious negligence”.
In early June 2026, three residents of Budiriro 3, Harare, tragically drowned in an unsecured, sewage-filled trench. The excavation was left abandoned and unbarricaded by municipal workers for months, filling with thick sludge and mud that the victims accidentally stepped into.
Police identified the three victims as Saul Karakadzai (19), Talita Munda (17), and Vimbainashe Shalom Chihota (34), all from the Budiriro 3 Extension area.
