…..Above, Raw Sewage in Hatcliffe. Below: Suspected Maize Thief Apprehended at Turn Craft
By Desire Tshuma
Hatcliffe — A stream of raw waste cuts past Hatcliffe homes, children kicking through it as if chasing rainwater, while thieves raid backyard fields.
Residents in this suburb of Harare say the perennial sewage—mistaken for puddles—exposes kids to diarrhoea and infection, and the robberies strip families of food and peace. “Children think it’s water—they don’t know,” said Baba Brendo. A local mother who spoke on condition of anonymity added that she keeps hers indoors when sewage begin to flow , “but you can’t watch every child on the street.”
Ward councillor Elvis Ruzane said the exact stretch had not been reported to his office. “I haven’t heard of that report—the only sewer blockage I knew was in Kuyanana and it was fixed on Friday,” he said. “The Kuyanana one didn’t spend more than a week, so it’s not possible waste has been flowing for a month. Blockages are fixed first-come, first-served.”
Meanwhile, Officer Dube, a local resident, apprehended Tendai Simon—known locally as a mukorokoza, or illegal gold digger—after catching him selling fresh maize at a neighborhood bar. “We noticed cob after cob gone. I quizzed him—he couldn’t account for it,” Dube said. Residents helped detain Simon, who admitted theft at Hatcliffe Police Post and named an accomplice known only as “Mosqen”—shorthand for someone from Mozambique. Makorokozas have long been a menace in Hatcliffe, linked to violent crime and theft.
Hon. Agency Gumbo, MP for the constituency, hailed last month’s police raids that netted over 20 thugs: “I commend the police and community who collaborated to apprehend criminals that terrorized our society. Crime is a destabilizing cancer; our youths must live honestly. We will follow this matter so accomplices are brought to book.”
Last month’s sweep also detained a woman, Netsai in connection to spate of robberies with male syndicates . In Hatcliffe, families navigate danger underfoot and in the fields.