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Raymond Jaravaza, Chronicle Correspondent

THE rainy season is both a blessing and a curse for 77-year-old Legina Ncube but mostly she dreads the devastating effects the rains pile on the roof of her humble three-roomed home in one of Bulawayo’s oldest suburbs.

While her peers from church and the local burial society — a voluntary monthly subscriptions club that assist a member bury their loved ones in times of bereavement — all look up to the rainy season with joy and hope for a better harvest, there is something about that time of the year that makes Gogo Ncube uneasy.

It’s the thought of getting home from church to find her home sodden with water from an ever-leaking roof that has been giving her family a torrid time for over a decade now.

Gogo Ncube has been living in her Old Luveve home for 58 years; a place she has raised her children and grandchildren for decades but the last 15 years have not been pleasant for the near octogenarian.

The modest home comprises a bedroom, sitting room and kitchen, with a toilet and shower located a few metres from the house.

One thing stands out about Gogo Ncube’s house and those of her neighbours who still haven’t made major renovations to their homes – the roofs of their homes are made of concrete slabs unlike the conventional roofs that are made of tiles or asbestos or iron sheets. Way back when Luveve suburb was built under the rule of the colonial masters in the 1930s, concrete slaps were the preferred form of roofing material.

Decades of being exposed to weather elements such as heat and rain have taken a toll on the roofs and Gogo Ncube finds herself a victim of circumstances she fears will lead to injury or death if the unthinkable happens.

She invited Chronicle into her home and the effects of water that leaks into her house through the porous roof are visible in all the three rooms. It’s a ticking time bomb, a threat that she only hopes will not turn fatal if the roof gives in.

“As you can see the kitchen is covered in plastics to try and stop the rain water from flooding the room, my grandchildren were desperately trying to do something to stop the leaking because they fear the roof will one day collapse if the situation continues like this.

“I don’t look forward to the rainy season because of what I experience whenever it rains. I’m afraid that one day this roof will collapse while I’m sleeping. I have lived in this house for over 50 years but the last couple of years have been very unpleasant; the leaking is getting worse every year,” Gogo Ncube tells the Chronicle.

Some of her neighbours have gotten rid of the old roofs and replaced them with asbestos.

It’s a “luxury” the old woman cannot afford.

“I’m  a pensioner so the little that I receive from NSSA (National Social Security Authority) is not even enough to buy food and electricity so I can’t afford the costs of changing the roof. Maybe someone who will read your newspaper will assist me,” she says with a chuckle.

The leaking roof is causing more damage to the walls of the home that a section of the kitchen now has huge cracks, which if left unattended can result in the collapse of the house.

Gogo Ncube’s case is not unique. We meet her neighbour, 34-year-old Vusa Mlandu, who narrates the same story of a leaking roof that forces his family to place buckets in strategic places in the house to collect the water. Because he is renting the house, there is nothing he can do about the leaking roof except to move his furniture away from the areas where the rainwater drips into the house.

“The water that we collect after a night of raining is enough for my wife and two kids to bath in the morning. That’s how bad the situation is.

“I have told my landlord about this situation but she says she can’t afford to change the roof. I also sympathise with her because the costs of changing a whole roof are very high and she is an old lady whose source of income is the rent that I pay every month,” said Mlandu.

The news crew took a drive around the Old Luveve to determine the approximate number of homes that still have the concrete slab                                                                                                             roofs. A majority of homes have changed the concrete slabs to asbestos roofs, a clear indication that the leaking roofs have been a problem most residents are happy to get rid of, if funds permitting.

Local councillor Febbie Msipa said the issue has been raised at residents’ forums but insisted that the local authority cannot be held accountable.

“Those are private homes and it’s the owners’ responsibility to take care of the leaking roofs. In the case of old people who cannot afford to change the roofs, we can try and mobilise resources as residents to assist them hire a professional to waterproof the roofs and stop the leaking.

“I’m currently at my rural home but I will take up the issue of the old woman you mentioned with the residents associations and map a way forward,” said Msipa.

A local contractor Matthew Zibande said the cost of replacing a roof is at least US$2 000 depending on the size of the house and the type of roofing material that will be used.

“It’s not a complex job for an experienced contractor but it’s not cheap either. For a three roomed house, it will take us three days to demolish the old roof and replace it with a new one,” said Zibande. -@RaymondJaravaza