The recent deaths in Budiriro over the weekend have renewed scrutiny of the City of Harare's operations and the leadership of Mayor Jacob Mafume.
Three bodies were retrieved from a sewage-filled swamp after the victims fell into an unmarked and unsecured pit in the high-density suburb.
The incident has sparked allegations of negligence against the Harare City Council, which residents say failed to properly barricade or mark the hazardous area.
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The latest fatalities bring to eight the number of deaths linked to council operations in the past 10 months.
In August last year, two council workers died at a Glen View sewer plant after inhaling toxic substances.
Three months later, another three workers lost their lives at Morton Jaffray Water Works after entering a decomposed water clarifier where they were overcome by toxic gases.
Following the Morton Jaffray incident, Mafume promised to institute a Commission of Inquiry into the occupational deaths after an outcry from council workers, who accused city authorities of negligence.
After the latest deaths in Budiriro, Mafume has once again vowed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the loss of life, this time involving three residents who died after falling into a trench left uncovered by council workers.
However, the mayor's latest assurances have been met with scepticism from residents, with the Harare Residents Trust (HRT) arguing that the deaths expose a longstanding pattern of negligence within the local authority.
"We do not accept the word 'tragedy' as sufficient to describe what happened. A tragedy implies fate. What occurred in Budiriro 3 is the direct consequence of institutional negligence, a culture of impunity, and the City of Harare's sustained failure to protect the very residents it is mandated to serve.
"The Harare Residents Trust (HRT) wishes to place this incident in its proper context. This is not the first time the City of Harare's negligence has cost a resident their life," read the HRT statement.
Questions have also been raised over the absence of publicly known outcomes from investigations into last year's fatalities, despite promises by city authorities to establish accountability.
Across Harare, residents continue to complain about unmarked trenches and excavation sites left unattended by council workers, which they say pose a serious danger to the public.
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The HRT further accused the City of Harare of failing to comply with basic safety standards, resulting in avoidable loss of life.
"The City of Harare is still failing to uphold minimal compliance with the safety and security of residents and its workers.
"The workers' representatives have reportedly been bought into silence and no longer represent the workers' interests. The workers' representatives must look at themselves and evaluate their utility. The workers' representatives must look after the workers and residents of Harare," the statement added.
