Wi-fi technician engulfed in flames after electrocution

A TELCO employee was allegedly electrocuted while his colleague was injured when an aluminium pole they were using to install Wifi at a house in Mkhosana suburb in Victoria Falls accidentally came in contact with overhead Zesa electrical cables.

Police confirmed the incident which occurred on Friday at around 5PM.

Mr Rector Msipha (43) of Mkhosana suburb and his colleague Mr Victor Zulu (38) from Aerodrome climbed up a mango tree to push up a four-metre long aluminium pole to mount a Wifi modem.

The tree is directly under Zesa overhead cables and inside the yard where the duo wanted to install wifi.

Residents watched helplessly as Mr Msipha was engulfed in flames while stuck onto the pole.

He fell off the tree after a brave resident, Mr Bernard Sihwaba Ncube, rushed to a nearby transformer and tripped the power.

The Chronicle was told that a T-shirt which Mr Msipha was wearing was burnt to ashes and he also sustained burns on the face and arm.

He was confirmed dead on arrival at Victoria Falls District Hospital.

His unconscious colleague, Mr Zulu, was rushed to Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo before being transferred to Mater Dei Hospital where he is still admitted.

When Mr Msipha got stuck onto the pole, Mr Zulu was allegedly thrown off by the electric shock and fell hard on a concrete pavement.

When The Chronicle visited the house on Saturday afternoon, neighbours were still in shock about what had happened.

The tree branch where the aluminium pole was balanced was burnt.

The owner of the house where the incident occurred, Mr Thepias Chuma, said his tenant had invited the two to install Wifi for him.

Mr Chuma's son, Coster, who witnessed the incident, said he was still traumatised as he narrated what happened.

"They came after 4PM and parked their car outside. They both climbed onto the tree with the pole and moments later as I was inside the house, I heard a loud crash and as we checked we saw one of the two men lying on the ground and he was not moving. As we checked up the tree we saw the other guy and the tree in flames," he said.

Coster, whose father was not at home, immediately ran to inform Mr Sihwaba Ncube next door.

He said police later cleaned blood stains on the pavement.

Mr Ncube tripped power from a transformer resulting in Mr Msipha falling off the tree.

The aluminium pole remained hanging on the Zesa cable and was removed in the evening.

"I forcibly opened the transformer box and tripped power. We heard a loud sound as he fell off the tree while we rushed back to the house but he was still in flames.

"The flames could have burnt the house and I had to look for a log which I used to pull off a cable that was around his arm and connected to the Zesa cables," said Mr Ncube.

Residents could not render first aid for fear of being electrocuted.

They used a log to pull Mr Zulu away from Msipha's body before police and ambulances arrived.

There was a power blackout in Victoria Falls for three hours following the incident.

Mr Msipha is survived by his wife Ms Sazini Moyo and two children.

Acting police officer commanding Victoria Falls District Superintendent Dominic Sibanda said investigations on the matter are in progress.