Tsvangirai ‘rescues’ flood victims
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai spent the whole of last Friday with ordinary Zimbabweans who lost homes, property and crops in Mbire floods that wrecked livelihoods in the Zambezi Valley in Mashonaland Central.
The MDC leader left tonnes of household packs that included tents, blankets, clothes and groceries for the hundreds of families in the flood-ravaged area. He had first visited the makeshift tents that are providing temporary shelter for some of the families.
Tsvangirai said government must ensure that there is non-partisan distribution of any form of assistance that will be rendered to the community.
He then gave some families goodies that included food packs and left the rest of the packs he had brought with local traditional leaders and village heads. He told them to ensure that the handouts went to all deserving families, regardless of political affiliation.
Addressing thousands of villagers in Nyambudzi village in ward 12 in Mbire, Tsvangirai bemoaned the natural calamity that befell the hapless families in the Zambezi escarpment and other parts of the country, where floods destroyed homes and crops, impacting negatively in a huge way on the lives of the people.
“I hope that government and NGOs will also assist,” he said.
“There is no reason for anyone to render assistance along partisan lines. I hope everyone will be assisted and I hope the village heads will assist all affected people.”
Tsvangirai also urged the youth to reject being used to unleash violence on people but to positively channel their energy to demand jobs so as to improve their livelihoods.
The former prime minister later visited homes of survivors of the 2008 violence.
He was shown houses that were destroyed by vigilantes who unleashed unprecedented violence following Zanu Pf’s presidential poll defeat in 2008.
The MDC leader promised to source more food for the distressed families. Daily News
