Chirundu police camp collapses

A POLICE camp at Chirundu Border Post collapsed this week, forcing officers to use a local beerhall as temporary shelter.

Chirundu borders Zimbabwe and Zambia, and it is the regional gateway from South Africa that links Zimbabwe to countries like Malawi, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi yesterday confirmed the incident, saying they would soon dispatch experts to evaluate what caused the damage.

‘‘I can confirm that we have structures that collapsed at Chirundu Border Post belonging to ZRP. We are waiting for assessors to investigate and evaluate what can be done on the affected premises,’’ Nyathi said. Yesterday, police sources told NewsDay Weekender that inmates were now being detained in makeshift holding cells inside the beerhall.

“The ZRP camp collapsed and we are being forced to work at home. Unfortunately, some of the suspects are being detained at a local pub that is now being used as holding cells. We can’t operate in the open as it is raining,” a police source said.

‘‘The police camp is too old and we hope the authorities will act as a matter of urgency on the matter,’’ another source said.

In an unrelated incident, villagers under Chief Bvute in Mberengwa, Midlands province, were left counting losses after a heavy storm destroyed their homes last week on Thursday.

The most affected villages are Vimbanai, Runyararo A, Hlalisekani and Batanai.

Mberengwa ward 36 councillor Trevous Mlambo confirmed the incident.

“The hailstorm left a trail of destruction and we are appealing to government and other well-wishers to assist the affected villagers to rebuild their destroyed homes,” Mlambo said.

Schools and other public infrastructure were also affected by the violent storms.

Government has so far assisted the affected families with food.