The ManicaPost
Liberty Dube
Post Correspondent
TRAGEDY struck the Odzi community after a 14-year-old girl who was coming from church died on the spot after she was struck by lightning last week on Saturday.
Tanyaradzwa Kwembeya of Village Q in Mapembe was coming from church with her sister (17) and other church members when she was struck and killed by lightning.
Deputy Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka confirmed the incident which happened in Kambarami Village in Chief Zimunya’s area.
“I can confirm the death of Tanyaradzwa Kwembeya who was struck by lightning while hiding in a thatched kitchen hut. No foul play is suspected,” he said.
Tanyaradzwa and her 17-year-old sister as well as other church members were coming from church going home when it started raining heavily.
They sought refuge at a nearby kitchen hut before tragedy struck.
Tanyaradzwa’s sister and other church members who had also sought refuge in the kitchen hut escaped unhurt.
Assistant Inspector Chinyoka said the survivors quickly stormed out of the kitchen hut after realising that it had caught fire.
However, Tanyaradzwa sustained serious burns.
Her body was taken to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital for post-mortem.
The incident happened hardly a fortnight after a 30-year-old Chimanimani man who had gone to seek spiritual assistance at a shrine was fatally struck by lightning.
Tichaona Mathew Ngoma died on the spot after he was struck by a lightning bolt at Madzibaba Tarisai Misheck’s shrine.
Madzibaba Misheck had advised him to stay at the shrine for seven days.
On October 24, Ngoma and his colleague, Valentine Mukomo, went to a nearby river to bath.
After bathing, they proceeded to a nearby bush to fetch firewood as they wanted to cook. It started raining and they rushed back to the shrine and left the firewood under a tree.
They sought shelter in a tent that was at the shrine.
Ngoma was struck by a lightning bolt and died on the spot.
