Nine cattle belonging to different farmers were electrocuted after coming into contact with a live electricity wire near Shangani Mine in Insiza District, leaving the farmers counting heavy losses.
The incident happened on 6 January 2026, and the missing cattle were later found dead beneath an overhead electricity line.
One of the affected farmers, Gumai Matola from eNsango Village 1 in Insiza Ward 22, told CITE that the animals went missing on Tuesday and could not be found despite extensive searches by villagers on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Matola said that at around 4 pm on Wednesday, a passerby returning from work spotted the cattle lying dead under the electricity wire.
Village elders were immediately alerted and contacted the livestock owners and local authorities to try to prevent further losses. Said Matola:
“We agreed to go to the scene the following morning because it was already late.
“We asked one of the elders to go to Shangani Mine to request that the electricity be switched off to avoid another tragedy.”
He said officials from ZESA in Gweru were contacted and advised the villagers to report the incident to the police, assuring them that they would visit the site the following morning.
When the farmers visited the scene the next day, the full extent of the losses was revealed. Said Matola:
“We found nine cattle dead. Three were mine, and all were pregnant cows. Two belonged to another farmer, also cows, with one pregnant.
“Two bulls belonged to another farmer, and one heifer belonged to another farmer. One animal’s owner is still unknown.”
Another affected farmer, Nevious Dube from Shangani Insango Village 1, said the incident was not isolated and attributed the losses to the placement of electricity infrastructure in grazing areas.
Dube added that ZESA typically compensates for only one animal, even when several cattle are killed.
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