Chief’s Council president Fortune Charumbira has mocked
local prophets for failing to predict the devastating Cyclone Idai which,
according to the International Organisation for Migration, claimed over 560
lives in Chimanimani and Chipinge two weeks ago.
Charumbira, who is also a senator made the remarks last
week after Local Government minister July Moyo issued a ministerial statement
updating legislators on the devastation caused by the weather phenomenon.
He questioned the prophets’ capacity to foretell future
events, particularly natural disasters.
Although government insists that the death toll stands at
179 people with at least 329 missing, humanitarian agencies involved in the
rescue and retrieval operations in Manicaland province, said the death toll
could rise sharply as more bodies are believed to be buried in rubble.
“This issue before us is very difficult because no one knew
about it and someone said to me that the prophets we have – why did they not
tell us? How do they prophesy because here they did not see that people were
going to die? The issue is that the prophets that we have — their capacity is
now questionable,” Charumbira said.
“Someone who identified themselves as a prophet actually
approached me and started narrating what chiefs must have done, and he came up
with all sorts of philosophies and theories about Chimanimani and Zimbabwe, but
they did not foresee this happening.”
Moyo told the House that agricultural infrastructure in
Chimanimani was severely damaged, adding that this will impact negatively on
people’s livelihoods.
Chimanimani is well known for producing export quality
macadamia nuts, tea, coffee and fruits.
“Agricultural infrastructure has been damaged extensively.
Some of the infrastructure is related to horticulture, for instance.
Chimanimani is where we have macadamia nuts and most of our tea there has been
damaged. The infrastructure of small-scale vendors and others has been
destroyed, and we now need to focus on livelihoods of the people,” Moyo said.
The Local Government Minister said while Zimbabweans
donated tremendously, the food items were short of foodstuffs for children and
babies thus placing their nutrition in danger.
“The amount of support of food, medicines and clothes is
tremendous. What we are now appealing for is food items for children and
babies. When we did our inventory, we found out that there were not too many
people who were actually making sure that children and babies are catered for
and that has started coming after we made that appeal.
“The damage to infrastructure has been extensive, but the
damage that has occurred to individuals, families, children, adults and women
has been very intense. The epicentre of that Cyclone was in Chimanimani East
constituency,” Moyo said.
Masvingo senator Josiah Hungwe said while people were
donating immensely to the affected areas, there were many foodstuffs but no
cooking utensils.
“How are they going to cook the food because I did not see
any pots there; even water buckets or cooking sticks (utensils). My worry is
how are they going to cook the food…? The firewood was even wet,” Hungwe said.
Further commenting on the cyclone, Moyo told Senate that
government was now looking at redesigning settlements.
“Chipinge recently had a tremor of the size of 5, 7 on the
richter scale and by any means that is very high. Scientists now believe that
maybe there was a small tremor two hours before this Cyclone Idai hit
Chimanimani, and settlement patterns now have to change,” Moyo said. Newsday
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