BY NIZBERT MOYO INCESSANT rains have caused serious damage to infrastructure and crops in Matabeleland South, with villagers fearing for the safety of their houses. Matobo district ward 15 councillor Dickson Moyo told Southern Eye yesterday that it was the first time since the 1970s that the area had experienced heavy rains which destroyed crops. He said most families were now facing hunger after their crops were washed away by flash floods. “Our crops are now a write-off, even those planted through the Intwasa/Pfumbudza scheme. The government was supposed to assist us with fertiliser to avert leaching, but we only got it last week. Mkhokha village has more than 1 000 villagers, but we only received 200 bags of fertilizer, which is not enough,’’ Moyo said. He said incessant rains last hit Matabeleland South in the 1970s, adding that several homesteads had their huts damaged by the rains as they were constructed using non-durable material. MDC Alliance provincial chairman Solani Moyo said in Bulilima East, roads had been turned into rivers. He said Manzamnyama River experienced flash floods. “Villagers have spent two weeks without entering their fields due to the continuous rains that we are receiving in Bulilima everyday. Our crops are now clogged up with water, making them a write-off,” Moyo said. He said he had to assist some villagers in Huwana village with meal-mealie, after their homesteads were destroyed by the rains. Follow Nizbert on Twitter @N.M
