Smiles wipe away tears
ALTHOUGH the lush green majestic mountain ranges in Chimanimani that spread as far as the eye can see still bear the wounds inflicted by the brutal hand of nature during the devastating Cyclone Idai disaster in 2019, men and women are working around the clock in the area restoring bridges, building houses and stitching livelihoods anew.
Roads in Chimanimani and Chipinge that weaved through the towering mountains were destroyed, bridges swept away and many were left not only homeless but also hungry.
When the furious Cyclone Idai struck in March last year, sweeping away livelihoods and leaving over 1 000 dead and hundreds missing, President Mnangagwa declared a state of disaster as he led from the front in directing rescue operations. Now the area is being opened, with roads and bridges being built, while families that lived precariously, pitched on mountain tops, are being resettled in safer places where the Government will provide modern housing and irrigation facilities.
At the foothill of Skyline, an area where villagers were once marooned just last year, a new passageway was recently completed to the tune of US$1 million, money that is coming from Government coffers.
The villagers love it.
“The road that has been built is better than the old one. We can now afford to travel and carry on with our horticultural activities as of old, we would like to thank the President for his efforts in restoring lives here. From day one he has been with us, working around the clock to open up this area,” said a young man from Ngangu, a place where houses were flattened in March last year.
Last week, President Mnangagwa led a high-powered delegation that included his two deputies as he commissioned the Cyclone Idai restoration projects in Chimanimani and Chipinge, the two areas that were hardest hit by the disaster.
“As the Government, we said let us rebuild schools that were lost, (and) some have been rebuilt. We have homesteads that were swept away and we are now making sure that they find somewhere to stay. We passed through Westend where we are building houses, and we are going to build more homes. You can see what the mountains look like. We don’t want you to go to such dangerous places. We are going to build houses, and we are also going to provide irrigation facilities. Do coexist with people who are already in those places where you will be resettled,” the President assured hundreds of people who had assembled to meet with him at Skyline in Chimanimani.
Thus, slowly smiles are returning to the faces of thousands of families whose houses were destroyed, as they find a new lease of life, thanks to the efforts of Government, local companies and aid organisations that have combined forces to restore one of Zimbabwe’s most pristine areas.
Speaking on the same occasion, Mr Canaan Malunga a director of Masimba Holdings, one of the construction firms that has been working to open up the area, hailed the Government for believing in the ability of local companies to reconstruct and open areas that doubters thought would forever be sealed off from the rest of the country.
“When we first came here after Cyclone Idai hit the area, it was all gloomy. We never thought we would ever gather here to celebrate this achievement. We worked so hard to repay the confidence invested in us by the Government. We gave the project our best shot, taking into consideration President Mnangagwa’s mantra that we should rebuild better than before,” said Mr Malunga.
During the visit, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Larry Mavima assured the villagers that the Government will continuously cushion them from the effects of the cyclone that are still being felt up to this day.
“We have brought 48 tonnes of maize meal, that should be distributed to Chimanimani district. I have been promised by the Minister of Agriculture that from today up to the end of the year there will be 3 000 tonnes of maize per month distributed to this area to ensure that people have food,” said Minister Mavima.
Last year Treasury set aside US$50m to repair the damage caused by the natural disaster in Manicaland and parts of Masvingo and Mashonaland East.
The money was channelled towards the Civil Protection Unit, the Department of Roads, and the provision of education, health, electricity, water and sanitation.
“We are now focusing on infrastructure development which involves the constructions of roads, dams and other social amenities. After five years, we need to have world-class infrastructure and social amenities through local funding.
“We have learnt from our past mistakes of exporting our jobs and skills to foreign companies. It is now time for us to join hands and develop our country,” said President Mnangagwa.
The Government, using local resources, is brick by brick rebuilding clinics around the country and other infrastructural projects that are being carried out by local companies that have in turned employed thousands of people.
In Chimanimani alone, around the Skyline area, more than 800 people were employed by the local companies and empowered with life-changing skills.
Families in Chimanimani and Chipinge, areas that are suitable for horticulture, would also benefit from the Presidential Horticulture Input Scheme as the Second Republic walks the talk on ensuring that no one is left behind in development, irrespective of geographical location.
Here power lines have either been restored or are being restored just as has been communication lines that were affected by the natural disaster.
Industries are opening too.