Zimpapers Logo

Kudakwashe Mugari, Harare Bureau

Government has expressed satisfaction with recovery efforts relating to Cyclone Idai victims with the World Food Programme expected to provide food assistance to 15 533 households.

In a post Cabinet briefing yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Government was happy with the continuous honouring of pledges by everyone including the private sector partners after the devastating Cyclone Idai which claimed the lives of 347 people.

“Cabinet was briefed by the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Settlement on progress in the recovery efforts pertaining to the cyclone disaster. Following the successful opening of all the affected schools in Chimanimani on Tuesday May 7, 2019, distribution of textbooks and related stationery donated by well-wishers such as Unicef was now in progress throughout the district,” she said.

Minister Mutsvangwa also said Cabinet had noted with satisfaction that the registration of beneficiaries for relief support has now been completed in 23 wards in Chipinge district, with the assistance of the World Food Programme (WFP).

“The WFP will provide food assistance to 15 533 identified households up to the end of May 2019. Most areas are now accessible by road, save for a few where the DDF and the roads department are working flat out to repair the damaged access roads. 

“All the 86 internally displaced persons who were staying at Ngangu Primary School were successfully moved to camps at Arboretum and Nyamatanda. The balance of 100 displaced persons who are living with relatives or neighbours will soon be moved to Garikai site in Chimanimani.”

“A total of 91 320 people have now been provided with hygiene kits in Chimanimani, Chipinge, Mutare and Buhera. Supply of essential medicines to health centres in Chimanimani district has now normalised,” Minister Mutsvangwa said.

About 347 people in Zimbabwe have since been confirmed dead while several others are still missing. Nearly 60 000 people in Chipinge, Chimanimani, Buhera and Mutare were displaced as a result of Cyclone Idai.