The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
ON the last day of March in 2019, in the aftermath of the emotional torture that came with Cyclone Idai’s extensive destruction to infrastructure, human and animal life, President Mnangagwa said, “Things do change. Kuipa kwezvimwe kunaka kwezvimwe”.
He said this as he praised the United States’s kind gesture during that dark moment in the history of the nation.
Up to this day, the Head of State and Government’s words continue earning credence.
It is exactly two years since Cyclone Idai brought misery to the people of Chimanimani and Chipinge, with tears running down the cheeks of many.
While scars of the pain that the nation went through are still visible, especially among folks in Chimanimani where up to this very day cumulonimbus clouds are a source of fear instead of joy, there are positives coming out of this obnoxious moment in our history.
One the progressive developments coming out of the Cyclone Idai disaster is the emergence of an urban settlement at West End Farm near Nhedziwa Business Centre.
That the vision for the West End Farm Cyclone Idai Disaster Restoration Project dovetails into Vision 2030 needs no rocket scientist to elucidate. Following the devastating cyclone, Government has been aiming to build better, smarter and stronger infrastructure so that communities are more resilient to future hazards.
Forty-eight-year-old Mrs Marvelous Gwenzi’s emotional torture after the March 15 and 16, 2019 madness has transformed into a genuine feeling of relief as she now has a roof over her head. Mrs Gwenzi, an resident at the Garikai Camp where life in a makeshift tent has not been so kind could hardly believe her eyes on Sunday when she was allocated a roofed house, together with other lucky ones.
“All along we were in a state of hopelessness. We are happy to have come this far. It was not easy, but we are indeed grateful for this development. I was lucky to pick a card with a complete structure.
“We are anxiously looking forward to occupying our houses in the near future as soon as all the necessary paperwork is done,” said the mother of seven.
Her house in Ngangu was left in rabbles during the devastating tropical storm two years ago. While nine families were allocated the completed houses, 131 other families now have the comfort of knowing that they own residential properties at West End Farm.
At its completion, the disaster restoration project at West End Farm — tucked in the thickets of Chayamiti Village about 10km off the Mutare Chimanimani Highway at Bumba — is expected to culminate into the birth of an urban setting with fully fledged businesses and social amenities.
The 151 artisans and general hand staff constructing the houses as well as District Development Fund (DDF) employees working on the bumpy road are in fact a precursor of a busy urban dwelling that West End Farm is expected to turn into.
Chimanimani District Development Coordinator, Mr Joseph Manyurapasi said the long term plan of the restoration project is to see West End Farm turning into an urban settlement.
“The vision, according to the layout plan and the construction plan, is the envisaged urban settlement. This is a positive development that will greatly boost livelihoods for many,” said Mr Manyurapasi.
A total of 299 households are projected to be settled at West End Farm.
Of those, 178 have already been verified by the District Civil Protection Unit subcommittee on shelter. Mr Innocent Mukahanana, another Garikai Camp resident who is yet to be allocated either a stand or a house at West End Farm is optimistic.
“It is a bit painful to miss out when you believe that you also deserve to benefit. However, the allocation of the stands to our colleagues has given us hope that we will get decent accommodation after Cyclone Idai destroyed our houses. We now have faith in the process and we anxiously look forward to its logical conclusion,” said Mr Mukahanana.
But the story of Cyclone Idai restoration efforts is incomplete if development partners’ input is not mentioned.
While some reneged on their pledges to give a helping hand for various reasons, some not only fulfilled their promise, but went beyond expectation. International Organisation for Migrants (IOM) has been visible on the ground providing relief to the survivors.
With funding support from the USAID (Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance) and the government of Japan, IOM Zimbabwe provided transitional shelter to 224 households affected by Cyclone Idai.
Government also partnered with the private sector to assist in the recovery efforts in areas affected by the disaster, and the country’s largest media organisation, Zimbabwe Newspapers (Pvt) Ltd (1980), adopted Chikukwa Primary School, which was also affected.
Zimpapers built a two-classroom block to bring relief to more than 1 000 learners whose access to education was affected by the cyclone.
