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Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau

THE Civil Protection Committee in Beitbridge has activated its disaster clusters in response the continued damage to key infrastructure following heavy rains across the country.

Malibeng and Jopembe primary schools in Beitbridge had the roofs of their classroom blocks blown off by heavy winds.

Communities in the affected areas have started pooling resources to repair the damages.

Beitbridge Civil Committee chairperson, Mrs Sikhangezile Mafu who is also the local district development coordinator, said they sent technical teams to the ground to assess the damages.

“We have sent out teams on the ground following the latest incident where heavy rains accompanied a by storm caused a lot of infrastructural damage at Zezani Business Centre in Ward 10,” she said.

“We are yet to establish the extent of the damage and we our rapid response teams in all the wards is on high alert. As a committee, we encourage people to report any emergencies and to be on the lookout so as to avoid the unnecessary loss of lives”.

Mrs Mafu said they are also rolling out awareness campaigns as part of efforts to minimise rainfall related hazards.

She also warned people against crossing flooded rivers and streams.

People living in low-lying areas including Shashe, Tshitulipasi, Tshipise and Tshikwalakwala are advised to be high alert for floods.

Beitbridge West legislator Cde Ruth Maboyi said they are still assessing the damages in some areas.

She said in areas such as Malibeng, the villagers are already working on repairing the damaged school infrastructure.

Cde Maboyi said in some places, bridges have been damaged and that there is an urgent need for relevant authorities to intervene.

A businessman at Zezani Business Centre, Mr Alfred Muleya said most of them are counting losses after roof tops of their shops were blown away.

“In some cases, goods in shops were submerged in water. We are yet to calculate the losses, but we will need a lot of money to repair the roofs and restock,” he said.

“At the same time we are appealing to the Beitbridge Rural District Council to attend to drainage issues at the business centre to avoid the recurrence of these incidents”.

So far, the worst affected roads are those linking Shashe, Toporo, Zezani, Limpopo, Masera, and Dumba with the town.

The Government has said it remains committed to prioritising increased disaster risk management including early warning systems and contingency planning to enhance the country’s preparedness.

Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo said regional and national early warning systems continue monitoring and advising them to foster readiness for all hazards associated with the current rainfall season. — @tupeyo