By Jensen Stephen | Nehanda Radio |
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has today flown into the Cyclone Idai wrecked Manicaland Province in the Eastern Highlands of the country to appraise himself with the destruction the cyclone has caused a couple of days ago.
Cyclone Idai hit three Southern African countries and has left a trail of destruction in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe with at least a hundred people having been confirmed dead as of today in Zimbabwe alone while more than 200 remain unaccounted for.
Particularly affected areas include Kopa where at least 100 people died with Ngangu Township 67 people recorded to have perished during the storm. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue teams on the ground point to zero chance of finding surviving people.
The country’s Civil Protection Unit, Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) among other rescuing partners from various organizations teamed up since Saturday fighting to uncover bodies covered by debris.
Mozambique has experienced the most causalities with authorities estimating over a thousand people to have died in the wake the Cyclone Idai.
There has been public outcry on the failure by the Zimbabwean authorities to evacuate people from the risk areas such as Chimanimani and Chipinge on the back of weather reports that indicated that a calamity will hit the country a few days after having destroyed lives and property in neighbouring Mozambique.
Cyclone Idai hit Zimbabwe’s eastern side in the early hours of Saturday on the 16th of March 2019 hours after Mnangagwa had departed to the United Arab Emirates with the state media describing the foreign trip as earmarked for ‘strategic talks’.
Social media went abuzz accusing Mnangagwa of lacking sincerity and compassion for the victims of the Cyclone Idai disaster ultimately forcing the 76 year old Robert Mugabe successor to cut short his Arab world visit.
In the company of his deputy, Retired General Constantine Chiwenga, Mnangagwa descended into Chamanimani Tuesday morning with decomposing bodies flying into his face and has since consoled bereaved families.
Zimbabwe’s finance ministry released 50 million RTGS dollar towards the Cyclone Idai induced destructions with a view to speed up infrastructure rehabilitation finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube wrote yesterday on his microblog Twitter account.
“The social impact of the 2% electronic transfer tax in action: the ministry of finance has released $50 million for Emergency and Infrastructure Restoration following Cyclone Idai-induced floods destruction and infrastructural damage across.
“The funds will go towards Cyclone Idai rescue efforts and rehabilitation of affected citizens and restoration of rural feeder roads and other structures. The funds have been allocated to The Civil Protection Unit, The Department of roads, Education,” he said.
Yesterday, more than 50 bodies were buried with authorities placing at least two bodies in a grave.
The opposition leader Nelson Chamisa was in Manicaland yesterday where he toured the affected areas interfacing with some victims who told him the gruesome nature of the Cyclone Idai.
