Late hero Brigadier Gunda’s property gutted by fire

By Leonard Ncube

VICTORIA FALLS – A lodge run by the late national hero Brigadier-General Paul Armstrong Gunda’s widow was on Wednesday night gutted by fire that destroyed property and cash estimated to be over $10,000.

The former Commander of One Brigade in Bulawayo died in 2007 and his widow Rangarirai Tatenda Gunda runs the lodge, Tatenda Safaris, which is one of the affluent facilities in Victoria Falls.

Rangarirai who sustained minor burns on her shoulder as she tried to save the property told Chronicle that more than $10,000 was burnt in the inferno that brought down the front office, kitchen, storeroom, pantry, bathroom and part of her bedroom.

Nothing was salvaged as office furniture, two deep freezers, laptops, business licences, groceries, utensils and some clothes were burnt.

The fire started at 8PM and is suspected to have been caused by an electrical fault.

Firefighters struggled with the inferno for more than four hours.

“It was just after 8PM when we saw fire in the patio and I think the curtains caught fire resulting in a section of the roof made of fibre glass starting to burn,” she said.

“People were panicking and we almost forgot to phone the fire brigade but when we did they responded swiftly. I had just returned from Botswana where I had gone to buy building materials but came back without buying anything and that money was burnt also.”

Police Officer Commanding Victoria Falls District Chief Superintendent Jairos Chiwona who attended the scene said they are yet to establish the cause of fire as they will be guided by the fire brigade’s findings.

In a statement, Victoria Falls Municipality fire department said it suspected the fire was caused by an electrical fault.

“We reacted to a call of fire at Tatenda Lodge where we found a kitchen, office, reception and pantry on fire and were extensively damaged as all roof structures made of fibre glass were destroyed. A lot of property comprising plasma TV screens, fridges, furniture, groceries, among others was burnt,” reads part of the statement. Chronicle