daniel chigunweSikhumbuzo Moyo
Bulawayo Bureau
AT LEAST 40 people have drowned across the country since the start of this rainy season, among them, seven children who were swept away in the past four days.
A five-year-old Early Childhood Development learner at Donkwe Primary School in Kezi, Matobo District, Matabeleland South, was swept away by a flooded stream on Friday afternoon while on her way home from school.
Promise Ncube was travelling with two other five-year-olds after school had finished at midday. They had walked about 5km towards Sigwaza Village when heavy rains began.
Matabeleland South acting police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Stanford Mguni, said the three small children started running towards home but encountered a fast-flowing stream on the way.
“The other two learners managed to cross, but the deceased was swept away as she attempted to follow her classmates. Upon witnessing the tragic incident, her companions rushed home to inform their parents, who quickly attended the scene and managed to retrieve the body a few metres from the road,” said Asst Insp Mguni.
He said police attended the scene and transported the body, which is awaiting a post-mortem.
“Investigations are ongoing, but as the police, we continue to urge parents and guardians to always escort young children, especially during the rainy season. School authorities are also advised not to release such young learners to travel home unaccompanied,” said Asst Insp Mguni.
In Mawabeni, Umzingwane District, Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) employees discovered the body of a seven-year-old boy floating in the filter at its slow sand filter at Mawabeni Water Supply yesterday while carrying out their duties.
In a recent report on rain-induced incidents and drownings, the Civil Protection Unit stated that on Sunday, a six-year-old ECD pupil at a Lupane school went missing and was later found dead in a nearby river.
“Her lifeless body was discovered trapped in roots, with scars on her face and private parts. The circumstances surrounding her death remain unknown, leaving the community shaken and searching for answers.
“The District Civil Protection structures are intensifying education and awareness in communities about the dangers of rainfall season hazards, including crossing flooded rivers.”
The biggest danger with crossing a river in flood is not so much the depth, but the speed of the flow which quadruples in force for every doubling of speed.
The CPU also reported that on Friday last week, heavy rainfall in Gokwe South, Midlands province, caused the Tare River to flood its banks. A group of over 50 members of the Johane Masowe eJerusalem Sect, who had taken shelter under the Tare River Bridge during a night vigil, were swept away by the flood waters while asleep.
Online Reporter