'Improve architecture of rural houses,' says CPU

The Civil Protection Unit (CPU) has called for an improvement in the architecture of rural houses as most of them were prone to crumbling during incessant rains, landslides and flooding.

Director of the CPU Madzudzo Pawadyira last week told the Parliamentary Thematic Committee on Peace and Security that pole-and-dagga houses were susceptible to natural disasters.

Most traditional settlements in Zimbabwe are cluster circular huts made of poles and clay with thatched roofs.

"There is a tendency by people to build homesteads around foothills on the mountains and because the soil is not very thick the water slips underneath and loosens the soil and landslides happen," said Pawadyira.

"There is also something wrong with the architecture of our village homes where some houses melt, dissolve or crumble while others stand – we also want to improve on the quality and architecture of housing in rural areas that is most prone to disasters," he said.

According to Pawadyira, several rural structures, including schools and clinics, have had their rooftops swept away and damaged by windstorms in areas like Gokwe, Mount Darwin, Mangwe and Shamva districts due to their architecture.