A Kadoma man tragically lost his life while attempting to rescue his colleagues who were trapped in a sewer manhole.
Godfrey Kawocho, an employee of the Kadoma City Council, died from suffocation while trying to save his fellow workers, Julius Simoko and Cassim Saidi, who had also entered the manhole during their duties. The incident, which occurred near Rimuka Stadium, took place two weeks ago and has cast a shadow over the city.
The team was assigned to work on a main sewer manhole that had been out of use for a long time. It is believed that Simoko was the first to succumb to toxic gases that had built up inside the manhole. Kawocho then entered in an attempt to rescue him but was also overcome by the harmful fumes, which ultimately led to his death.
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Simoko and Saidi were subsequently rescued and admitted to Queen Mary Private Hospital. They have since been discharged.
Kawocho’s family has been left devastated by the loss. His younger brother, Tonderai Gomo, expressed the family’s shock and disbelief, saying, “When I first heard the news, I couldn’t believe it was him. I initially thought it might have been his brother Godknows, who works in South Africa. Even now, it’s hard to accept how this happened.”
He added that Kawocho had been dedicated to supporting his family and had aspirations of owning land and developing projects.
Council officials have remained tight-lipped about the incident. Mayor Nigel Ruzario and chamber secretary Willard Mangwengwende have not provided any detailed explanations, and town clerk Malvin Dondo was unreachable. The city health director, who was on official leave, was present at Kawocho’s burial on August 19 at Rimuka cemetery but did not comment.
As of the time of writing, no official medical post-mortem report on the cause of death has been released.
Kawocho is survived by his wife, Virginia Kanyepi-Kawocho, and their five children.
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