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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau 

The Civil Protection Unit in Beitbridge is assessing rural wards where heavy rains accompanied by severe storms have left some villagers homeless.

So far those affected are from Wards 2, 5, 6 and 15.

The acting CPU chairperson, Mr Jahson Mugodzwa said no one has died yet.

Ward 15 Councillor Rabson Mbedzi (blue t-shirt) and members of the Beitbridge district civil protection unit assess the damages caused by severe storms and heavy rains that pounded the district in the last three days

He said those affected were now sharing a single room while others sought shelter at neighbours’.

“In ward 5 we received reports of five homestead where some house’s walls gave in as a result of the severe storm and in ward 15 we have three homesteads.

“Two homesteads were affected in Wards 2 n 6 respectively and we expect to get more reports later in the week. At the same time we have activated our ward rapid response teams to be on high alert,” said Mr Mugodzwa.

When our new crew arrived in ward 15 most of the victims had relocated to their relatives to seek shelter until they complete rebuilding the destroyed houses.

The road linking Lutumba Business Centre and Tshikwalakwala has become a nightmare for most motorists.

Ward 15 Councilor, Rabson Mbedzi said they were worried that some villagers might have challenges with access to water considering that some boreholes and protected wells were located in streams which have started to flood.

“So far we have a challenge around the Makaphile area, where two protected wells are submerged in a stream in that area and people there have challenges with access to clean water.

Things can only get better after the rainy season. Our long term plan is to pool resources and drill boreholes outside streams to avoid the recurrence of such problems,” he said.

Assessment done in ward 5 Lutumba, revealed that the road linking the area and Tongwe Business centre has been badly damaged and inaccessible to motorists.

The local CPU has already made arrangements for people likely to be affected by floods or storms to be housed at selected churches and schools across the district.