Tendai’s brother, 9-year-old Tatenda and his parents are currently admitted at Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital where they are said to be critical but stable.
The Matumba family’s landlord Sibisisiwe Nyamachewa narrated the tragic events to the Herald saying,
“It was around 4 am when I heard a loud bang followed by cries of a woman asking for help.
“I realised something was terribly wrong but I was shocked by what I saw.
“When I got out of (the main house), I realised that the 5000-litre-water tank had fallen on the cottage while neighbours were busy rendering help to the family.
“They had managed to retrieve Tendai and were busy trying to give her help. I rushed through the rubble and assisted Tatenda while help was also being rendered to the father,”
According to another eyewitness, it was apparent to the people at the scene that Tendai was no more as she was showing no signs of life. Nevertheless, she was rushed to the hospital where she was confirmed dead on arrival.
The 5,000-litre tank was installed in May 2020 by the Matumba family’s neighbour identified only as Mrs Madhishi. Mrs Madhishi refused to speak to the media about the sad incident. However, her son Simbarashe said that the family was shocked by the incident as the water tank’s stand and mounting had never shown any signs of weakness.
The Civil Protection Unit district chairperson, Mr Benjamin Zivanai called on the local authorities to put into place by-laws empowering them to monitor and approve the installation of water tanks. He said that this would ensure that rigorous safety standards are adhered to which will prevent more deaths.
“This is an unfortunate incident and we want the local authority to monitor and approve the installation of water tanks to avoid loss of life,” Mr Zivanai said.
Zivanai’s remarks bear looking into as this is not the first time that a water tank has collapsed and killed people. Barely four months ago, two families from Chitungwiza suffered the same horrible fate when a neighbour’s water stand collapsed and killed their two children who were playing outside. A third child was injured and hospitalized.-iharare
