Close to 100 families left soaked after storm hits Musina

Many residents from the Musina area resorted to sleeping under wet blankets on Saturday night (10 February) after a rainstorm wreaked havoc in the area. Close to 100 households were affected by the storm. Belongings such as clothes, furniture, household appliances, and personal documents were destroyed. Even residents’ food got spoiled and damaged in the chaos.

The newspaper spoke to one of the affected households at Matswale Extension 10. The family of seven includes a disabled man and a 61-year-old woman. “At around 21:00 that night, we noticed water flowing into all the rooms, but we could not stop it from getting in. When the rain eventually stopped, we used buckets to scoop the water out of the house, but all our belongings were soaking wet,” said one of the family members, who did not want her name to be published.

She said the family had notified their ward councillor, who promised to assist but did not. “The following day (Sunday), social workers visited us and registered us on the list of names of families that have been affected. Food parcels were delivered to us a day later,” she said.

Musina Mayor Godfrey Mawela visited the victims on Monday, 12 February, and activated the Disaster Management Team. Mawela urged the business community, private sector, and individuals to join hands with the municipality to assist the affected.

According to the spokesperson for the Musina Municipality, Mr. Wilson Dzebu, no serious injuries or deaths were recorded. He said the municipality had so far distributed about a hundred food parcels to affected families, and he said more were still expected. “Distribution of food parcels is in progress. We are still waiting for more blankets and mattresses from the Vhembe District Municipality,” he said.

Date:15 February 2024

By: Bernard Chiguvare

Bernard Chiguvare is a Zimbabwean-born journalist. He writes mainly for the online publication, Groundup.

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