Bongani Ndlovu
Bongani Ndlovu, [email protected]
THE rain did not just fall — it roared, unrelenting, as if determined to wash away everything in its path.
For Mr Lewis Moyo, a resident of St Peter’s village on the outskirts of Bulawayo, that night will forever be etched in memory — a night when the walls that once sheltered his family gave way, one after the other, as he slept.
He woke up to a nightmare.
The floor beneath his mud and pole hut, was no longer firm but soaked and sinking, the walls trembling as if they could no longer bear the weight of the storm. Within hours, the home he had built over years began to collapse — first the kitchen hut, then the girls’ hut, and shortly after, the boys’ hut. The walls of the bedroom that he and his wife Miriam Masuku shared, started to collapse.
“It rained the whole day on March 16, and throughout the night into the morning,” Mr Moyo recalled on Wednesday, his voice heavy with the memory.
“The kitchen hut was the first to collapse. The girls’ hut followed shortly after, then the boys’ hut about two hours later. What was left was our bedroom, but even that started to give way.”
As the rain continued to pound, panic set in. The last standing hut — the one he shared with his wife, Miriam Masuku — began to crack. Water seeped in, turning the floor into thick mud.
“In the rain, we started removing our belongings because one of the walls had started collapsing,” he said. “We had no choice but to act quickly.”
With nowhere else to go and the storm still raging, Mr Moyo did what he could to protect his family. Using whatever materials he could salvage, he built a makeshift structure — a fragile refuge against a merciless downpour.
Today, that temporary shelter is all they have.
Mr Moyo is among 38 families in Ward 17 whose lives were upended by the heavy rains that pounded the area last Tuesday and Wednesday, leaving a trail of destruction across villages such as St Peter’s, Robert Sinyoka, Mazwi and Methodist.
Homes crumbled. Toilets collapsed. Food supplies were soaked and rendered unusable. For many, years of hard work were undone in a matter of hours.
Yet, amid the devastation, there was a glimmer of hope.
The Government on Wednesday, through the Bulawayo Provincial Civil Protection Committee, moved in swiftly to assist the affected families.
Each household received essential supplies — blankets, cooking oil, sugar beans, kapenta, soap, a cooking pot and cups — small items, perhaps, but lifelines for families starting over.
“When I heard about the relief, I wasn’t expecting this,” said Mr Moyo, his face softening. His wife was present at St Peter’s Hall to receive the relief.
“We are very grateful to the Government for helping us in this time of need. This will go a long way.”
Speaking after handing over the items, Director for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works and chairperson of the Civil Protection Committee, Mrs Fikile Marovatsanga, said the extent of the damage was significant.
“There are huts and toilets that collapsed because of the recent rains in Mazwi, St Peter’s, Robert Sinyoka and Methodist villages under Ward 17,” she said.
“Their food items got drenched with water. We have 38 people whose houses collapsed in these areas. So as the Civil Protection Committee in the province we put our heads together to intervene with these items so that at least they can get back on their feet. Also, we targetted the most affected.”
Ward 17 Councillor, Sikhululekile Moyo, also expressed gratitude for the swift intervention.
“I want to thank the Government of Zimbabwe for intervening as many families in my ward have been affected by the rains. Their houses were destroyed and we hope that their houses will be rebuilt as there are many houses that are affected,” said Councillor Moyo.
Also present was Bulawayo Chief Fire officer Mr Mhlangano Moyo, members from the Department of Social Welfare and Local Government.
Online Reporter