Matthew Takaona Beauty Mumanyi (69) trudges through the mud and rain near Zifunzi Primary School in Chief Nemauzhe’s area as she esc...
Matthew Takaona
Beauty Mumanyi (69) trudges through the mud and rain near Zifunzi Primary School in Chief Nemauzhe’s area as she escapes from rising floods in Tokwe - Mukosi Dam on Saturday. Pic: Matthew Takaona.
CHIVI – The situation in the environs of the newly constructed Tokwe-Mukosi Dam in Masvingo Rural District this week resembled a humanitarian disaster with hundreds of villagers in the flood threatened areas working round the clock to retrieve the little possessions they could and move to safety.
Minister of State for Masvingo, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti told The Mirror that the situation was an emergency that needed the support of everyone to stop a total disaster. A few hours later President Mugabe declared a national disaster to enable the mobilisation of resources to assist the affected.
Those who were affected are villagers who were to be moved out under phase 3, the last phase expected to take place almost three years from now when the dam was expected to have filled up, according to sources.
The Mirror moved into the area at the weekend and came across dozens of families dumped by the Masvingo Beitbridge Highway who had slept in the open with young children despite incessant rains that pounded throughout the night. The families were there for four nights until they were moved to Mwenezi on Tuesday morning.
There were no tents for their shelter.
The families were receiving a loaf for three people and some mazoe drink a day to complete their meal. Many were stuck with their properties on their way to safety as roads became impassable and cars and lorries could not pass.
The Zimbabwe National Army played a crucial role in getting cars stuck in the wet ground moved out and where that was difficult, the soldiers moved property from one point to the next.
An Airforce of Zimbabwe helicopter made trips evacuating villagers from the low-lying areas to the main road where they were in turn to be moved to Mwenezi for resettlement.
Panic stricken villagers had to hire private cars when the Government assisted evacuation process became slow and they were charged exorbitantly.
A big hitch for the more than 300 families who had to hastily leave at the weekend was that they left with no compensation at all from Government and this means they have no money to go and put up new structures in the new places where they are going to be resettled.
Villagers who moved under phase one and two last year received compensation ranging from $5 000 to $20 000 to cover for the loss of their homes.
“I am 67 years old my son. I have no energy to go and clear a new field or to go and build a pole and dagga house. How am going to build a house for myself and my wife who is 63 years old when Government has not compensated me? I had a five bedroomed house at Tokwe and I am moving out empty-handed,” said a distraught Chekai Tyson Chekai.
The other disaster is for the more than 600 pupils who had to leave their schools to go to an area where there are no facilities at all.
Three primary schools; Zifunzi, Zunga and Mavende Primary were severely affected while Kushinga High and Neruvanga High also lost many students.
However, parents were forced to leave some of their children in high schools with relatives in order to avoid disrupting their studies.
Although The Mirror could not get to Mwenezi where the villagers would be resettled , there was a lot of anxiety about food and shelter.
Other sources expressed concern at the access to health facilities particularly for people living with HIV and Aids. There were worries that access to drugs will be disrupted thereby causing complications to the patients.news,local
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