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Pamela Shumba Senior Reporter
THE rains that started on Sunday are expected to continue for the whole of this week, the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) said yesterday.

Most parts of the country received rains as the week began following a prolonged period of high temperatures.

The rains have brought relief to farmers whose crops were beginning to wilt.

The MSD’s head of public weather services, Tich Zinyemba, said most parts of the country were expected to receive more rain this week.

“Thunder showers should be expected for the whole week. Light showers occurred across the whole country where moderate amounts were recorded mostly in the Matabeleland provinces and Midlands. Notable falls were recorded at Lupane with 39mm, Gweru 26mm, Matopos 25mm, Nkayi 23mm, Tsholotsho 20mm and Kariba 19mm,” said Zinyemba.

He advised farmers to obtain regular updates from the Met department and to seek advice from Agritex.

Zinyemba said there is still a high likelihood of below normal rains in most areas in the country.

Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister responsible for crop production and irrigation development, Davis Marapira, last week said without rains in the next three weeks, farmers were going to suffer a complete write off.

Churches across the country have been praying for rains, with Vice President Cde Phelekezela Mphoko attending a number of prayer sessions that started on Saturday and end on January 17.

The rain prayer sessions are the brain child of President Robert Mugabe after the VP told him about the drought situation.

Cde Mphoko has previously described the prevailing drought situation in the country caused by erratic rains as a national disaster.

On Saturday and Sunday, VP Mphoko was at the Bellevue Seventh Day Adventist Church and the Family of God Church in Bulawayo, where he urged people to look up to God to spare Zimbabwe the drought situation.