admin
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Plumtree Correspondent
A hailstorm accompanied by heavy winds damaged three classroom blocks at Dukwe Primary School in Mangwe District leaving pupils stranded.
About 10 homesteads and shops at Dukwe Business Centre in Madabe Ward were also destroyed in the process.
Two villagers sustained injuries after they were struck by flying debris from affected structures.
The headmaster of the school, Mr Khumbulani Ncube said only two classroom blocks were spared during the hailstorm which hit the area on Sunday around 2PM.
He said 261 pupils were affected out of an enrolment of 403 pupils.
“Six classrooms that were being used by ECD, Grade One, Two, Three and Five classes had their roofs blown off during the hailstorm. Pupils from the whole school are now learning from the remaining four classrooms.
“Two of the classrooms are, however, being used by Grade Seven pupils who are writing their exams which means 10 classes are relying on two classrooms,” he said.
Mr Ncube said the school needed $4 300 to replace the damaged roofing and $1 400 to replace damaged textbooks.
He said the school also lost teachers’ cottages that were accommodating three families.
Mr Ncube said community members and the school development committee had resolved during a meeting that parents could not be levied towards repairs of the school as some of them had been affected at their homesteads.
“We are appealing to well wishers to help us. Pupils are crowded in the two classrooms and they are not learning properly because most of the space is covered with furniture.
“Some of the pupils are learning from outside which isn’t appropriate for learners,” he said.
The councillor of the area, Mr Nkosilathi Khahlu said an elderly villager from Dukwe Village suffered a fractured leg while a juvenile suffered a broken arm and head injuries when the hailstorm destroyed their homesteads.
He said he had identified 10 homesteads so far.
Mr Khahlu said some villagers lost household property.
“There was a hailstorm on Sunday afternoon which lasted for about 15 minutes but the damage was severe. Two villagers were injured and one of them is a child. The child has been referred to a hospital in Bulawayo for treatment.
“Some villagers had the roofs of their homesteads blown off while others also lost all their property in the hailstorm. The business centre was also affected as several shops were blown away. As community leaders we are still assessing the level of damage and statistics on the number of villagers that were affected,” he said.
Mr Khahlu appealed to various stakeholders to assist villagers who had been left stranded by the disaster. He said villagers were in need of sleeping space, food and clothing.— @DubeMatutu.
Online Reporter