Tsholotsho flood victims remembered

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THE Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), yesterday donated clothes, soap, sanitary ware, among other goods, to Butabubili flood victims in Tsholotsho, Matabeleland North province.

THE Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), yesterday donated clothes, soap, sanitary ware, among other goods, to Butabubili flood victims in Tsholotsho, Matabeleland North province. NQOBANI NDLOVU STAFF REPORTER

ZimRights director Okay Machisa said the NGO was touched by the plight of the Tsholotsho flood victims and organised a fundraising concert to mobilise assistance.

The festival was held in June at Belgravia Sports Club in Harare where members of the public were encouraged to donate soap or any clothing towards the victims as their entrance to the festival.

The festival was organised in conjunction with Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition and Batanai HIV and Aids organisation.

“This was done in pursuance of the organisation’s mandate to promote socioeconomic rights and bridge the poverty occasioned by the floods,” Machisa said yesterday.

“We collected donations from well-wishers and the general public. Every Zimbabwean is a philanthropist in their own right and this concert was for people to fundraise for the needy.”

Cartons of bath soaps and sacks of second-hand clothing, sanitary ware and pens were handed over to the Tsholotsho Civil Protection Unit (CPU) at the district administrator’s offices.

The CPU has been co-ordinating the distribution of donated goods to villagers affected by the floods.

“We will be very uncomfortable to hand over the goods to the flood victims and this is why we are handing over these goods to the CPU and authorities of this province as they have a better understanding and appreciation of the disaster caused by the floods,” Machisa added.

Tsholotsho police chief inspector Muyambirwa Muza, representing the CPU, said 58 families in Butabubili would benefit from the ZimRights donation.

“There are 58 families in Butabubili that were affected by the floods,” he explained.

“They are the primary beneficiaries of this donation, but we will also give pens and some clothing to pupils at Jimila.

“The long-term solution to avert another disaster befalling these families during floods is for them to build stronger houses.

“They have all along been building mud huts that give in and collapse when there are heavy rains. It would be best if they got funding to build stronger huts out of cement and proper bricks since most of them do not want to vacate their flood-prone areas.”

He added that Tsholotsho flood victims needed food to take them through to the next harvest season.

Scores of Tsholotsho villagers were left homeless and lost their belongings after torrential rains pounded the district early this year, killing livestock and destroying their houses.

The government stepped in after a Southern Eye exposé on the plight of the flood victims who accused the State of neglecting them and turning a blind eye to their cries for help.

The government had at the time declared the Masvingo floods a national disaster resulting in a stampede by donor agencies, companies and State entities.