Chronicle Editor
Amanda Mlevu, Sunday News Reporter
THREE children sustained varying degrees of injuries while four others escaped unhurt when the roof and part of a hut they were sleeping in caved in on them after rains pounded the area last week.
The rains left a trail of destruction in Chino and Sawudeni villages with five villagers losing either a whole homestead or part of it while property and food was destroyed. The three were rushed to a nearby clinic where they were attended to.
In an interview with Sunday News, Mr Dumisani Mpofu who spoke on behalf of the affected family said the incident occurred around 3am in Chino, Ward Five. He said four of the seven children who were not physically injured but were traumatised needed help in the form of counselling to recover from the incident.
“It happened around 3am when everyone was asleep. It started raining and it was really heavy, it was a thunderstorm and it destroyed a house where seven children were sleeping in. It is actually shocking how some managed to get out uninjured because the roof literally fell on top of them. Worse could have happened. We woke up after we heard them screaming for help and rushed to remove the rubble from on top of them. Three sustained injuries but the other four were not physically injured but we suspect they are emotionally broken. We thank God for sparing their lives,” said Mr Mpofu.
Tsholotsho Rural District Council chairperson Councillor Ropheus Ndlovu visited the five homesteads to check on the amount of damage and said the villagers were in need of assistance in form of food and building material. He said the affected children needed counselling.
“Several villagers in the district were left counting losses after their homesteads and properties were affected by the recent rains. The rains were accompanied by excessive winds and houses collapsed on five homesteads in Chino and Sawudeni villages. Luckily there was no loss of life,” said Clr Ndlovu.
One of the affected villagers Mr Samuel Vundla from Sawudweni Village under Chief Mathuphula was devastated after his home was damaged by the rain.
“Currently I don’t know where to start. The roof of my house that had corrugated iron sheets was blown away by the strong winds and it happened when we were inside the house,” said Mr Vundla.
He said after the roof was blown away, everything in the house got exposed to the rains including the food they had stored.
At the Moyo homestead in Sawudweni, a house roof was blown away too while a top of the toilet collapsed. Clr Ndlovu encouraged villagers to be alert to the dangers posed by climate change that was causing unusual weather patterns and urged them to engage qualified builders in the construction of their homesteads.
“The rains were bad but some of the structures appeared to have been poorly built in the first place. I therefore encourage the community to use qualified builders so that even when heavy rains come their structures can withstand them,” he said.
He called on well-wishers to assist affected families with food and building material.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter