The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
A TOTAL of 140 households whose properties were destroyed during the March 2019 Cyclone Idai disaster were left all smiles on Sunday after being allocated houses and stands at West End Farm near Nhedziwa Business Centre in Chimanimani District.
When The Manica Post visited the West End Farm on Tuesday, construction work for the 55 houses which are on the initial phase was almost complete, with nine of them already roofed.
Twenty-six were being roofed, while the other 20 were at various stages of construction. The serene environs of West End Farm are now a hive of activity as 151 artisans and general hand workers are on site, with some already doing preliminary works on the next phase of 50 houses.
On Sunday, representatives of the households were ferried to West End Farm for the houses and stands allocation exercise which was conducted by picking stand number cards that had been placed in a hat.
Lucky ones picked stand numbers with already completed houses, while others got houses at various stages of construction. The rest were shown their residential stands.
Sunday’s allocation of houses and residential stands was in sync with the March 15 deadline that Government had set for the accomplishment of the feat.
Mrs Mukahanana, a 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 rubbles during the devastating tropical storm two years ago.
Chimanimani District Development Coordinator, Mr Joseph Manyurapasi, confirmed the development and thanked Government for availing the resources.
“We are happy that we have managed to beat the March 15 deadline we were given to complete the allocation of the stands and houses at West End Farm.
“The process went on well and everyone was left smiling as everything was done in a transparent manner.
Beneficiaries picked cards inscribed with stand numbers. We managed to allocate the stands to 140 families.
“We are really grateful to Government for making our work much easier by providing the much-needed resources. The incessant rains that we recently received had threatened to derail our plans, but we are happy that we managed to work around it,” he said.
Mr Manyurapasi said the provision of water is now the only remaining hurdle.
Beneficiaries will move into their new properties once clean water sources are availed. “We are now seized with the issue of provision of water and one borehole has already been drilled by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa).
‘‘We hope Zinwa will move with speed on the provision of more sources of safe and clean water in the area so that the relocation of the families is not delayed,” he said.
Mr Manyurapasi said the District Development Fund is expected to move a gear up in improving the road that connects West End Farm from Bumba Turn-off.
The 10km stretch from Bumba Turn-off to West End Farm along the Mutare-Chimanimani Highway in Chayamiti Village is littered with boulders and gullies.
Initially, the Government had envisaged completion of the first 55 houses by end of last year, but late delivery of materials from suppliers as well as incessant rains delayed the process. Cyclone Idai hit eastern Zimbabwe on March 15 and 16, 2019; with Chimanimani and Chipinge being the worst affected.
The cyclone left a trail of destruction, with houses, clinics, schools and roads swept away.
Hundreds of people also lost their lives.
