FLOODS: Nightmarish start to new year,. . . as floods send families clutching onto tree branches

The Manyepa Family scrounging for valueables from the rubbles of their collapsed bedroom. Their Daughter Lilian admires her two weeks old little brother Victor together with whom they survived from the collapsing house - Pictures by Kudakwashe Hunda — The Manyepa Family scrounging for valueables from the rubbles of their collapsed bedroom. Their Daughter Lilian admires her two weeks old little brother Victor together with whom they survived from the collapsing house – Pictures by Kudakwashe Hunda

Tendai Chara recently in MUZARABANI

The Nyadimbo family of Chitimbe Village, Muzarabani, has had a nightmarish start to the new year.

For close to 10 hours, Weston Nyadimbo (55), his two wives and 10 children were marooned on the banks of the flooded Musengezi River.

The family spent the better part of the night clutching onto tree branches as the river’s rising waters threatened to sweep away the entire family.

“It is by the grace of God that we are alive today. For close to 10 hours, my family, which included a two-week-old baby, stared at death. Up until this day, I do not know how we survived,” Mr Nyadimbo said.

The Nyadimbo family is one of the many families that have been affected, in one way or the other, by the incessant rains that have been pounding most parts of the country since the beginning of the year.

In Mashonaland Central province, Mount Darwin, Muzarabani and Mbire are the most affected areas.

Muzarabani recorded 125 millimetres of rainfall on January 3.

Roads have been extensively damaged and crops have been washed away, leaving thousands of villagers facing acute food shortages.

The situation has been worsened by illegal settlers who plant their crops on river banks in the low-lying areas.

An illegal settlement has sprouted near the Mavuradonha mountains between the Mukorodzi and Musengezi rivers.

Mrs Tambudzayi Matsika of Mudyavanhu village removing debris from her collapsed house in Mbire

Despite the fact that the villagers’ lives are under threat from the floods, the illegal settlers are adamant that they will not leave.

“We will never vacate this place. We were given this land by our forefathers and it is our duty to safeguard it. This place used to the headquarters of such revered spirit mediums as Mbuya Nehanda, Chidyamauyu, Chiwawa and Mkombwe,” said Mr Alfred Matombo, one of the villagers.

According to Mr Alfred Mufunga, the Muzarabani North constituency legislator, 110 houses have so far been destroyed in his constituency.

Close to 5 000 people are also stranded in flooded villages which are not accessible by road.

According to Mr Mufunga, such wards as Kaerezi, Chiwenga, Chadereka, Hoya, Mutema and Museredza are completely inaccessible.

“The Kapembere-Muzarabani road has been damaged and the area is not accessible. My constituency has been divided into three parts and the bigger part is not accessible by road,” Mr Mufunga said.

So bad is the situation that an Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) helicopter which had brought relief aid failed to land in Muzarabani due to the bad weather.

Mr Oliver Maramba, the Dambakurima Ward 4 councillor, is appealing for help.

“What we are in need of most is food, shelter and blankets. Relief agencies have been helping us, but we still need help in the form of food and blankets,” Clr Maramba said.

Mrs Uster Kuendamaire of Fumhe village in Mbire pondering what to do after her house was destroyed by rains

In Dambakurimwa Ward, Kuchera village is the worst affected.

The village is located between two rivers, Musengezi and Musingwa, and whenever the two rivers burst their banks, flooding occurs.

So far several hectares of land have been turned into a river bed and there are suspicions of a typhoid outbreak.

In Mbire, a number of areas are also not accessible due to the flooding.

In Mudyavanhu village, the Matsika family lost valuable items worth thousands of dollars after one of their houses collapsed after a heavy downpour.

“I had never seen anything like this before. We were least expecting the house to collapse since it was built only a few months ago. We lost a lot of items such as wardrobes, maize and kitchen utensils among other things,” said Mrs Tambudzai Matsika.

To make matters worse, the family fears that their other house which has developed cracks might soon collapse.

Across the road in Fumhe village, the Manyepa family was still counting the losses after their main bedroom collapsed following a heavy downpour.

The two-roomed house collapsed in the morning when the family of four was still asleep.

“Both the walls and the roof suddenly gave in, without giving the slightest of hints. We were still in bed and my wife had given birth only some six days before the tragedy. We are lucky to be alive,” said Mr Victor Manyepa.

Following the collapse of the house, the Manyepa family has since sought accommodation elsewhere.

Schools have not been spared, it is a very sorry sight — classroom blocks collapsed at Chitsungo and Makuvatsine primary schools. One of the blocks at Makuvatsine Primary School has since been turned into a cattle pen after most of the village’s cattle pens were destroyed by the heavy rains.