A fatal incident on Monday in Harare, Zimbabwe occurred while a 300 tonne All Terrain was dismantling a large free standing tower crane. We understand that the deceased was a tower crane rigger working for the company commissioned to install and remove the crane.
A clip showing the incident happening
The scene after the dust settled
The tower crane had been working on the new Trabablas Interchange project in the city and was being dismantled by a 300 tonne Grove GMK 6300L. It seems from video footage we have seen that the crew began removing the entire jib, while the full ballast was still in-situ. The tower crane went over backwards - it was installed on a counterweighted base - inflicting a massive sideways shock load on the Grove crane which had most, if not all of its boom extended at the time. As a result, it ripped the superstructure from the chassis.
The wrecked Grove
The main contractor Tefoma said: “Tefoma Construction regrets to report a fatal injury following a mechanical failure during crane de-erection operations at the Trabablas Interchange project site on 6th January 2025. The deceased was an employee of Manzlink, a subcontracted rigging specialist firm hired to carry out the dismantling process. Tefoma’s board of directors and management express their condolences to the worker’s family, friends, and colleagues. We regret this tragic loss and are offering our full support to the family and Manzlink.”
We will update this item as and when we learn more.
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