The ManicaPost
Cletus Mushanawani News Editor
AS clouds continue gathering on the horizon, signalling the end of the dry season, survivors of the devastating Cyclone Idai are now feeling butterflies in their tummies.
Despite the trauma of losing their loved ones in disaster, the Cyclone Idai victims are still waiting to hear the good news of their relocation almost one and half years later.
Although Government moved in and led a massive infrastructural refurbishment crusade, the provision of decent accommodation to the victims has been lagging behind as those who had pledged to do so did not honour their promise.
On Wednesday, President Mnangagwa assured all those still housed in tents that Government will do its best to ensure that decent accommodation is availed to them as soon as possible.
“Government will do its best to address the plight of the Cyclone Idai victims. If this issue had been brought to our attention sooner, we would have given priority to this group of people and directed our Department of Housing to come on board and address the issue.
“I was assuming that our corporate partners were assisting in the provision of housing facilities but as it stands the burden is now ours. We should be at the forefront in providing accommodation for the people,” said the President.
A visibly troubled Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba, also called for swift action to address the plight of the victims during last Friday’s tour of some of the camps housing the Cyclone Idai victims.
Nyamatanda Camp houses 29 families and is a health time bomb due to lack of basic social amenities as well as the poor state of the tents.
Speaking to a delegation led by Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu last Friday, Nyamatanda Camp secretary, Ms Ever Tore said the situation is dire and needs urgent intervention.
“We have 29 families staying here and every day we look forward to hearing the authorities announcing that relocation modalities are now in place. The harrowing experiences we went through during the cyclone are still haunting us.
“We have been housed in these tents for more than a year and their state is now a major concern to us. Some of the tents are now worn out while some were stolen by fellow residents who would barter trade them in exchange of grain,” she said.
But although Government has identified alternative land to resettle the families in Bumba, also in Chimanimani District, the victims say the land is dry and not arable.
“We are not happy with the Bumba area. The area is dry and not arable. Even if boreholes are sunk, massive investments will be needed to turn the area into a productive zone,” said Ms Tore.
A peep into Ms Luckness Mutanga’s worn-out tent was heart-rending as it is virtually empty, save for a bed and a few belongings piled in a corner.
“This has been our lifestyle for more than a year now. We used to stay at the new stands at Ngangu but our houses were swept away by the cyclone, thereby leaving us homeless. We could not salvage anything from the torrential rains.
“I stay with my husband and four kids in this tent and we had to divide it into two. My children sleep on the floor on the other side and we had to send our 14-year-old son to our Nhedziwa rural home because the situation here is not conducive to raise a child his age.
“We need to move out of these tents before the onset of the rainy season, otherwise there will be an outbreak of waterborne diseases,” said Ms Mutanga.
Dr Gwaradzimba said the Cyclone Idai victims need to be moved out of the tents as soon as possible.
“Initially, a mobile cellular phone service provider had offered to construct 500 houses for the victims, but chickened out. We had to go back to the drawing board. Government is now leaving no stone unturned to ensure that this situation gets the attention it deserves.
“Government has taken over this responsibility to ensure that decent accommodation is availed to all the victims. We are moving with speed to ensure that something is done before the onset of the rainy season. I know that time is not on our side, but we have to work 24/7 to ensure that something tangible is on the ground.”
She said money has already been set aside for this programme, while a development partner — International Migration Organisation has also availed US$1,6 million for the same cause.
“We will start with the construction of pre-fabricated houses at West End Farm, where the victims will be relocated. Pre-fabricated houses are easy to assemble and they are better off compared to these tents.
“We know that the water table at one of the identified areas for relocation is very low, but boreholes will be sunk to ensure that water is available. We do not want to dump people in unproductive areas.
“The same water from the boreholes should be able to sustain their lives. Government will not leave people suffering because it has the plight of its citizens at heart,” said Dr Gwaradzimba.
