Source: Storms leave trail of destruction in Insiza – NewsDay Zimbabwe
BY SILAS NKALA
STORMS, which hit Insiza, Matabeleland South province on Sunday and Tuesday, left a trail of destruction with a several villagers hospitalised after sustaining injuries.Homesteads were destroyed leaving some villagers without shelter. The most affected areas are Sidzibe ward 12 as well as wards 4 and 5 under chief Sibanda’s jurisdiction.
A villager, Sibongile Khumalo, said the storm destroyed a seven-roomed house at the late Khona Dlamini’s homestead near Sidzibe Primary School.
“It is sad that the rains that fell on Sunday left a trail of destruction in the village. At Dlamini’s homestead, the family was left homeless. The winds blew away the roof of a seven-room house and left them in the open,” Khumalo said.
Another villager, who only identified herself as MaSibanda, said her child was hospitalised after the roof collapsed on them.
“Our hut collapsed while we were inside. My daughter was injured and so we are in hospital,” she said. The affected families are pleading for
assistance.The storms also destroyed several properties in Mahetshe village in Matobo, ward 19 on Tuesday, leaving Mahetshe Primary and Secondary schools extensively damaged.
Village head Shakespear Ndlovu, who is also the Habakkuk Trust community advocacy action team convener, said the storm, which lasted for half an hour, left untold destruction in the community and destroyed schools at a time when learners were writing Grade 7 and Ordinary Level examinations.
Insiza district development co-ordinator Zakaria Jusa, who also heads the district Department of Civil Protection, confirmed the development. Jusa said teams were on the ground quantifying the damage.
“We have dispatched our teams on the ground assessing the situation,” Jusa said.
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