Auxilia Katongomara Chronicle Reporter
THE National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has said elevators at its head office in central Bulawayo are safe following inspection and certification by government inspectors.
The elevators came under public scrutiny in July following the death of two people who plunged to their deaths when one of the lifts malfunctioned. NRZ spokesperson Fanuel Masikati told The Chronicle yesterday that some of the lifts were undergoing modernisation.
“NRZ is concerned. The safety of our workers and stakeholders takes precedence. Our lifts were certified safe for use by a government inspector,” said Masikati.
He said Schindler engineers were upgrading three lifts at the 23-floor building, the tallest in Bulawayo. The parastatal, said Masikati, has six elevators and three are undergoing modernisation.
Use of the parastatal’s lifts at its head office was suspended following the death of the two people-a female NRZ employee and a technician who had been called to retrieve her from the jammed lift.
Masikati said a report on the death of the two would be made public as soon as it is ready because it was compiled by different parties.
“As NRZ we were conducting our own investigations. NSSA and police are doing theirs. The report is in the public interest and we will make it public as soon as it is out,” said Masikati.
On Tuesday, eight people experienced 30 hellish minutes after they were stuck in an elevator at the parastatal’s headquarters. The lift got stuck when it reached the ground floor and technicians were called to open its doors for the eight workers.