THE gods watching over one new City of Mutare general labourer only identified as Mungaishe must have been angry on the fateful Tuesday morning of September 16, 2025.
What was supposed to be a joyous first day at his new employ, turned out nightmarish for the youthful lad, who together with another unidentified rookie handyman, started a fire to burn a small heap of trash, but the fire blew out of control and destroyed over 50 cars parked at a nearby garage.
A visibly shaken Mungaishe told a local radio station, Diamond FM, that he and his colleague were on a routine clean-up and never imagined the blaze would spiral out of control to cause the catastrophic event.
“We were burning the rubbish on the other side of the road,” Mungaishe explained, insisting it wasn’t near the vehicles. But then, the wind picked it up.
The vicious flames jumped from the rubbish pile to the dry grass, and from the grass, it found its first victim: a single car parked inside Brooms Garage in the Riverside area. From there, the fire spread uncontrollably, engulfing vehicle after vehicle in a devastating chain reaction that reduced mostly Mercedes Benz vehicles, valued at several thousand dollars, to charred shells.
The devastating inferno at Brooms Garage has left owner, Anesu Akim, reeling from a massive loss.
Now, in the aftermath of the huge conflagration, Akim and the vehicle owners are at pains to face the immense financial and emotional consequences of the loss.
Investigations established that the garage was not insured to cover property at the premises, including customers’ vehicles.
However, our probe could not immediately verify how many of the burnt cars had comprehensive insurance cover inorder to mitigate the financial loss to the owners.
The fire incident has ignited debate on social media, with most commentators laying the responsibility of compensation on the municipality, whose employees started the fire which caused damage to property.
City Town Clerk Blessing Chafesuka expressed sympathy towards victims of the fire, saying his council takes the matter seriously.
“As a local authority, destruction of property and infrastructure by fire is an issue that cannot be watered down as it directly affects the livelihoods of our stakeholders.
“Our Fire Brigade was swift in minimising damage caused by the fire,” Chafesuka said, adding an assessment of the magnitude of the damage was ongoing.
The town clerk assured affected individuals that the matter would be dealt with in terms of the law.
“I want to assure our valued stakeholders and all those affected that the matter will be dealt with in terms of the appropriate legal procedures,” Chafesuka noted.
Legal expert, Mlondolozi Ndlovu warned of an impending class action against the city council, which is liable for the alleged wrongful actions of its employees.
“The council is liable for the actions of its employees if they were acting within the scope of their employment (contracts).
“So, that means council could be responsible for the damages and may be sued by persons whose cars were damaged, either by the employees’ negligence or wrongful acts.
“There must be direct causal links between the employees’ actions and the damages. Residents can demand compensation directly from council or seek redress from the civil courts,” said Ndlovu.
Brian Vengai, an insurance broker at a reputable firm, said that motorists, and indeed all property owners, must consider putting their property under comprehensive insurance cover to mitigate loss in the event of such devastating situations.
“The Mutare fire incident is a wake up call to property owners to consider putting their valuable assets under comprehensive insurance cover, so that if they suffer any unforeseen losses, their property would be replaced by the insurer,” opined Vengai.
“The beauty of this kind of full cover is realised when such in incidences of fires or other occurrences result in loss of property, including vehicles. The Mutare scenario should be a wake up call for everyone to think of having comprehensive insurance cover.”
Risk expert Marlon Mugiya echoed Vengai’s sentiments, underscoring the merits of the type of insurance.
“Comprehensive insurance provides financial protection against a wide range of risks, helping you avoid significant out-of-pocket expenses.
“Knowing that you have comprehensive coverage can give you peace of mind as your property is protected against various unforeseen events,” Mugiya said.
Comprehensive insurance, also known as fully comprehensive insurance, is a type of vehicle insurance that provides broad coverage for damages to your vehicle, as well as third-party liabilities. It covers a wide range of risks, including damage to your vehicle resulting from accidents, regardless of who is at fault.
It also covers for loss of one’s vehicle due to theft or attempted theft, damage or total loss of your vehicle due to fire, whether caused by an accident, electrical faults, or other factors, including natural disasters such as floods and cyclones.
Comprehensive insurance cover also takes care of damage to one’s vehicle resulting from intentional acts of vandalism. There is also coverage for damages or injuries caused to third parties, including other vehicles, property, and bodily harm.
However, this type of insurance typically does not cover normal wear and tear, maintenance, depreciation. Also, some policies may have specific exclusions, such as driving under the influence of alcohol or using your vehicle for unauthorised purposes.
Diamond FM
