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Michael Magoronga, [email protected]

IN December last year, a hailstorm ravaged the Zhombe area in Kwekwe District and destroyed public infrastructure including clinics and schools.

Mopani Primary School in Ward 7 was one of the worst affected by the extreme weather phenomenon and over 1 000 learners were left stranded after an entire 16 classrooms had their roofs blown off.

So dire was the situation that learners had to conduct lessons in the open.

The Kwekwe District Civil Protection Unit had to step in and send a high-powered delegation that assessed the school and provided tents as temporary shelter for the learners.

After the assessments, it was established that US$150 000 was needed to refurbish the school.

Destructive incessant rains accompanied by thunderstorms and other extreme weather conditions, all negative effects of climate change, have shone the spotlight on property insurance among public entities and individual property owners.

The recent development brought to the fore the need by the education sector to insure its schools in case of disaster.

Mopani Primary School is not the only institution affected. The sad development came just after another rain-related calamity left several houses and infrastructure destroyed in Kwekwe and Redcliff in October last year.

Local authorities were tasked with the reconstruction of the houses that were affected and only Redcliff Municipality had its properties insured in the entire province, making it easy for them to reconstruct the affected households.

Zhombe’s Chief Samambwa said most schools in the area were disasters waiting to happen.

“Schools are in bad shape in Zhombe. In fact, we don’t have any school to talk about. Most of them are just disasters waiting to happen. There are a number of factors including negligence and some are just worn out due to time as some of the schools were built in the 50s or so and they need to be refurbished,” he said.

After visiting schools within his area to assess the situation, Chief Samambwa acknowledged the importance of insurance.

“We are now looking for ways to raise the money that is needed for us to repair the schools but had we insured the schools, we could have simply approached our insurance company and it was going to be easy. Going forward, I encourage relevant authorities to take property insurance seriously so that we do not disturb our children’s learning process,” he said.

Mopani Primary School is under Zibagwe Rural District Council which operates the majority of schools in Zhombe and Silobela.

Zibagwe RDC chairperson, Councillor Chamunogwa Zvishamira said it was high time the council took the issue of insurance seriously.

“We introduced a policy where we collect US$1 per child from their tuition fee which we use to pay our premiums. The idea is that after we pay our premiums, the remainder is for repairing our schools instead of waiting for disasters to happen. The only problem is that the schools were not owning up to the arrangement and I think it’s high time we start making serious follow-ups on the issue,” he said.

Kwekwe District Schools Inspector Mr Herbert Maziriri said he would take it upon himself to ensure that schools in his district are insured. “I convened a heads meeting so that we could emphasise the need to insure our infrastructure because as it is, it might take us time to raise the money required to rehabilitate the school. But had we insured, it was going to be easy for us,” he said.

The same district also has Globe and Phoenix Primary School which is in dire straits. The school’s classroom blocks collapsed into an underground mining tunnel and to date, pupils are learning in the open. “All our schools should make sure they take the issue of insurance seriously. As the parent ministry, we’re going to make sure this happens,” he said.

Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution permanent secretary Mr Edgars Seenza urged local authorities to consider insuring their properties.

“Redcliff has got a good insurance scheme, which impressed me a lot. It’s something I have been talking to several local authorities about. I’m happy that Redcliff has already done so since it reduces pressure on the Government in times of disaster,” he said.

“In that regard, I urge other local authorities to emulate it because you quickly get relief and reduce worries when you are covered.”

Insurance and Pensions Commission (IPEC) public relations manager Mr Lloyd Gumbo said although it does not prevent disaster from occurring, insurance helps in restoring and recovering from a loss.

“From these experiences, it is evident that unforeseen events do happen. As such, it is critical to mitigate the effects of these events by insuring assets, which helps to provide financial protection against the costs of repair, rebuilding, or replacement,” he said.

“While insurance may not stop unforeseen events from happening, it helps individuals and businesses recover and restore them to where they were before the losses.”

Without insurance, Mr Gumbo said the financial burden of recovering from such losses can be overwhelming for individuals or businesses. “Unforeseen events such as disasters sometimes cause extensive damage to assets, which leaves individuals or businesses exposed like the rains in some parts of the country and the recent ones in Harare,” he said.

“Therefore, by transferring risks to insurance companies, individuals or businesses can recover more swiftly and effectively when losses occur,” said Mr Gumbo.