Woman electrocuted in Bulawayo while relieving herself

In a sad development, a woman was recently electrocuted after she went into a sanitary lane situated along a Zesa substation to relieve herself. She succumbed to the electric shock and died on the spot. The horrific incident took place in a lane situated between Robert Mugabe and George Silundika roads in Bulawayo.

The issue of people getting electrocuted due to unmanned and unprotected sub stations has become a common phenomenon. The woman decided to make use of the lane to relieve herself due to the absence of public ablution facilities at the area. She probably went into the lane to get some privacy. Eye witnesses said the woman had travelled from Fort rixon to buy vegetables.

Speaking about the incident, one of the deceased woman’s companions said,“With no public toilet in sight, she (the unnamed woman) entered the substation to relieve herself. We came this morning from Fort Rixon to buy vegetables.”Other witnesses said that they had been unable to render any aid to the woman because they were also fearful of being electrocuted.”When I arrived at the scene, I saw a partially undressed woman inside and her left arm had caught fire,” said a man who identified himself as Sithole.Vendors who ply their trade in the vicinity of the substation blamed the local authorities for not being more proactive in maintaining and sealing off the substation. They stated that many people believed that the substation was abandoned and not functional because of its decrepit condition.They also revealed that this was not the first time that a person has been electrocuted in this particular substation.

The vendors called on the authorities to make sure that there are enough public toilets around the city so that similar mishaps do not occur.Said one vendor,“This is what happens when these substations are left unattended as people go inside them for miscellaneous activities thinking they are not functional. Plus the city council must make sure they build places of convenience around the city,”