Tsholotsho flood victims call for help

A recent visit to Sipepa Village in Tsholotsho revealed that a number of villagers are living in destitution after surviving the Floods that have been affecting the area since the start of the rainy season.

The floods have not only destroyed shelter for the villagers, but have also affected the villagers’ access to food, and other critical services. An elderly man in the village narrates how the flood may have affected him for the rest of his life.

“Mina sengigugile mntanami njengoba ubona. amandla okwakha angiselawo. Yebo ye, basiphile indawo lapho esingakha khona, kodwa kambe ngingakhona ngiqala ukugamula izigodo namuhla? Angisenelisi. kungangcono ngibuyele khonaphana ngiyezama ukuvuselela, (As you can see, I am now too old to start trying to build a new home. Even though we have been given new land where we can rebuild, I no longer the strength to look for the necessary resources so I would rather wait for the rains to stop then go back to see if I can do with whatever remains at my old home.)” he says.

Another family affected by the floods lament the fact that they only have one small tent donated by the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) yet they are a family that constitutes 5 adult members and 3 children.

“We are very grateful for the donation of tents that we received but these were not really enough for bigger families like ours. Apart from the size of the tent, there are issues of privacy that we need to consider, it is difficult for us to deal with that when its bed time, “he said adding that mainly the adults just sleep outside and put the children in the tent but the problem is that it is still raining.

The families are also affected by lack of food as foodstuffs in the rural areas are kept in barns and these were also destroyed by the flood and the food washed away.  Even the crops in the fields remain submerged in water and some have been swept away. Livestock also remains at risk as rivers are overflowing.

Despite the direness of the situation, little help is being given to the surviving villagers, an issue that has raised concern among human rights organisations and activists. The National Youth Development Trust (NYDT) is thus engaging on an awareness raising campaign to bring out the major issues that these villagers are facing as a result of the floods.  This is expected to help contribute to the amount of help that various institutions will chanell towards the Tsholotsho community.