Heavy rains leave trail of destruction in Beitbridge

The Beitbridge Civil Protection Unit has been put on high alert after rains left a trail of destruction in the district.

Many buildings, including schools, churches and homesteads, were left without roofs after they were blown away during the rains, an official has said. Apart from buildings, some roads were badly damaged and could be inaccessible if the rains continue pounding.

The local civil protections unit chairperson Mrs Kiliboni Ndou-Mbedzi said they have already dispatched teams on the ground to assess the damages on most properties.

"We have received reports from Swereki area in Beitbridge West Constituency where the roofs of three blocks at a primary school, a teacher's cottage and a homestead were blown off.

"In Shashe (same constituency) a local church had its roof blown off by heavy winds between Sunday evening and Monday morning. We are also looking into the situation in Beitbridge East Constituency where five homes in Kayansee (resettlement area) were partially destroyed by the rains during the same night," said Mrs Ndou-Mbedzi.

She said there was a need to mobilise resources to address the disaster.