Serious secrets exposed by Cyclone Idai

Zimbabwe' "has" heard many stories of tragedy, heroism and community spirit which come from the floods of recent weeks and of course the cyclones in Manicaland and some parts of Mashonaland East and Central, and indeed some areas of Masvingo. And we've heard from the President of Zimbabwe and the Leader of the Opposition many of those stories. We have seen the pictures, we have heard the voices on television, we have read about it in the newspapers and we have read about it online. And of course, this devastation has not been limited to Manicaland some area caught the ripples from the disaster. Mother Nature has indeed been cruel over our land.

There was no knowledge of the extent of devastation mother nature executed on our beloved country. This level of destruction at the hands of mother nature was never witnessed in Zimbabwe and thus any preparation would have yielded the same results.

Anybody looking at the extent of this damage had felt particularly deeply the damage that has been seen, not just in the east corner of the state but right across the state.

But what has been so inspiring about these events in the country has been the response of the rest of Zimbabweans and the world at large. And Zimbabweans very much appreciate the extent to which the nation came to their aid-appreciate the extent to which our fellow Zimbabweans responded to their immediate need. People who simply jumped in a car and drove from Harare or drove from Bulawayo or the Midlands and all over the nation to end up in a town they had probably never been to before, to lend a hand and shed a tear for those they had never known in life and never met in death.  This response right across the country has been truly inspiring.

And it is also the case that many Zimbabweans around the world have also been deeply involved in that effort. Many have been up at all hours of the night checking the weather reports, making phone calls, trying to organise further support for their communities. This has truly been a whole-of-community effort because the horror that has unfolded has simply been extraordinary.

Many have seen first-hand the devastation the morning after that Cyclone Idai. And of course, despite the cyclone having moved the weather was still so savage you could not fly a helicopter through it. It defeated the military; such was the savagery of the weather conditions that followed that cyclone in Chimanimani

And one defining image for me will be the image of the local school where children walked fifteen kilometres carrying the dead and injured. Teachers carrying the sick on their backs have gone for three days without no food in their stomachs.  

A local woman recounted how it was the loudest noise she could remember-like one continuous freight train that kept coming and coming and coming. But Easterners like all Zimbabweans are resilient. It was simply extraordinary. Looking over Chimanimani one would have sworn that he is looking at a rainforest that had been napalmed with bombs. Or you were then looking at a landscape where all of the trees had simply been stripped. And it looked like it had suffered a very savage bushfire. And of course to see the devastation of the crops-the sugar cane and the bananas. The challenge we now face as people of Zimbabwe is how do we do justice to the sacrifices of all of those that have been touched by these disasters. How do we do justice to the outpouring of community spirit that remains long after the winds have died down and the waters have receded?

Now what we have seen is a great coming together of our communities. Zimbabwe had never seen the community spirit that has surfaced across this country and then manifested itself, in the volunteer effort in particular that has gone on in our local communities.

This sort of extraordinary effort that is going on across communities was unprecedented. And of course, the degree of corporate donations, as well as business-in-kind support, has also been important. All of this has indicated to us that we do have that spirit of comradeship alive and well in all of our communities. Zimbabweans have shown that life is not just about grabbing something for yourself; it is about courage, it's about selflessness, it's about looking after family and looking after community.

Thousands are cleaning up. Our armed forces are very much involved in this endeavour.  And of course, we should never forget the vital role that they are playing and will continue to play for some time to come. But of course, the government has a vital role to play as well-a vital role particularly in investing in community infrastructure. That is going to be very important, not just in the next few months of course in the next few years.

we know the human cost of natural disasters-we know that it is incalculable and that it can never be made good-but we can do is make good on investing in our communities to make sure the very essence of what makes those communities tick over is replaced so that those communities can become fully functioning again. Of course, this will involve a very big call on our economy.

We must all remain committed to making that investment to ensure that these communities get what they are entitled to and indeed deserve.

So today is a day to recognise and pay tribute to the courage of the thousands of people who in our community put themselves forward to help their neighbours.

As the waters rose and debris flew, our immediate instinct was the right one. It spoke of who we are and the sort of country we have created. We stuck together. We joined our efforts. We thought first of our children, their younger brothers and sisters, then our neighbours, our towns and our cities. And of course, this is no more evident than in the work the Army and of course our police force, who have all been terribly important in the response in Manicaland. All showing bravery and self-sacrifice.

And of course, what was also so special about the response was that a new generation joined in using social networking to save others and organise their response and donations. Younger Zimbabweans many of whom had never volunteered before stepped up to play a major role, and we should acknowledge that today. Because the result has been an example of common purpose from all generations and it shows the way forward for our country. A picture of an old lady who walked miles just to drop her donation. This was touching

So, Mr Speaker, we have seen in the past few weeks our country rise to the challenges presented by the devastation of flood and cyclone. We have heard heartbreaking stories of heroism and self-sacrifice and we have seen the best in people. And of course, it was demonstrated best, by this stunning fact: a state running out of gumboots simply because too many people wanted to help. So the stories of generosity have resonated not just locally, but globally, showing the rest of the world the values and virtues that we as hold, and as we continue through this difficult period of rebuilding a state, of mourning the loss and counting the huge cost of lost possessions and livelihoods, let us continue to live up to the values of all of those who have made such sacrifices during this period. And most of all, let us harness all that is best about Us. All of that makes us stronger together so that when the wind dies down and the waters recede, our commitment to each other never dies down and never recedes.

Our only hope is that the donated goods must reach the intended victims.

We look up to the President ED to set up a committee to oversee a fair and honest distribution of the items without corrupt selfish mind.

We have come this far by faith and we will go that far by faith.