Government has so far released $100 million as it
intensifies efforts to assist victims of Cyclone Idai by way of restoring basic
infrastructure and ensuring that the affected people access food and other
basic necessities on time.
A management team, comprising experts to oversee the reconstruction of
Chimanimani and other affected areas, is being put in place.
Yesterday, Local
Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo said
Government was funding massive reconstruction work in the stricken areas in the
east.
“Government has been taking the lead in funding and last
week we were given $50 million by Government through Treasury which has gone a
long way to restore infrastructure,” said Minister Moyo.
“The Minister (of Finance and Economic Development
Professor Mthuli Ncube) has informed Cabinet that he is going to release
another $50 million so that we don’t stop work we are doing making sure that
fuel is there for the helicopters, for the people who have donated groceries,
all the dozers that we are using, tipper lorries, the excavators all we are
buying because the Ministry of Finance was able to release money timeously.”
Buttressing Minister Moyo’s sentiments, Prof Ncube said:
“For the record, the figure from Government in terms of finance is $100
million.”
Minister Moyo also clarified the furore over alleged
politicisation of food aid in Chimanimani and Chipinge following a video
footage circulating of Zanu-PF trucks carrying food.
He said in times of disaster, political and other opinion
leaders become civic leaders who help the Government to identify people in need
of assistance.
“When we have a disaster an MP for us ceases to be an MP of
a particular party. He becomes a civic leader who we must use to mobilise and
identify those who are suffering. So we have been working with civic leaders
from MDC, civic leaders from Zanu-PF. The Zanu-PF civic leaders who ended up
getting in those videos were pressurised to get grain from Chipinge. The
Chipinge depot which is our focal depot away from Mutare has a lot of supplies
and we had ordered to say no car goes into an area which we have not opened and
goes there empty. If you have a four-wheel drive — we used Plan International,
we used EcoSure, we used everybody with a four-wheel- drive who could penetrate
into an area which we had not gone into. We wanted them to carry something.”
He said people were deliberately sensationalising a matter
which they knew was not meant to hijack food for the benefit of a particular
party.
Earlier, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services
Minister Monica Mutsvangwa had briefed journalists on Cabinet deliberations
focusing on both short and long-term solutions Government ought to implement in
case of future disasters.
“Cabinet received a comprehensive update report from the
chairman of the Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management Committee in the
ongoing rescue and search efforts in the aftermath of the Cyclone Idai
Disaster,” she said.
“Cabinet noted with satisfaction the considerable progress
that has so far been made in reopening access routes to the severely affected
areas in Chipinge and Chimanimani Districts. Cabinet also greatly appreciates
the overwhelming response by local corporates, churches, individuals, as well
as, cooperating partners and other countries in the region and beyond to calls
by Government for assistance towards the victims of the disaster. Pertaining to
the way forward, Cabinet resolved to intensify the ongoing search and recovery
efforts, to prioritise the provision of clean water and sanitation,
distribution of food relief, medical supplies and emergency shelter facilities
and to hasten the opening of roads and rehabilitation of damaged
infrastructure.”
Minister Mutsvangwa added: “To lodge a comprehensive appeal
for disaster relief support and to invite local corporates and business
associations to adopt schools and clinics for purposes of rehabilitating their
damaged infrastructure.
“In the medium-term, to carry out a disaster vulnerability
assessment of the Eastern Highlands area, with particular focus on the
Chimanimani and Chipinge districts, to come up with a contingency plan which
should address issues of land use planning, appropriate housing designs and
construction, and where necessary, the relocation of schools and residential
settlements; and to carry out measures to strengthen national disaster response
systems, including expediting the establishment of a centre for monitoring
disaster response system.”
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Manicaland Affairs Dr
Ellen Gwaradzimba yesterday said the damage that had been inflicted in
Chimanimani would take time to correct and needed to be handled by experts who
would work with Government.
“In the majority of areas, repairs and maintenance is no
longer possible and there is need for complete reconstruction. We are trying to
put up a proper system because this is a big project that is going to be
ongoing for some time.
“We require engineers who specialise in the construction of
bridges, roads, water, power as well as doctors who will be working on this
project,” she said.
She said Government needed a proper management system that
would look at the immediate needs as well as the medium and long term issues.
“We are in the process of compiling a list of experts and
skills we require to put the system in order. Most of our attention has been
directed at rescue operations for the victims of the cyclone but we still have
a province to run, we do not want all other activities to stop. We will put a
structured management system so that my role will be to monitor and coordinate
and not be on the ground all time so that we continue to carry out other
activities,” said Dr Gwaradzimba.
She said an IT expert had already been seconded to the
provincial CPU and he would be responsible for coming up with a ICT system that
would track all projects that needed to be carried out and their status.
“Project cyclone Idai will be running for a while because
like I said, some roads need a complete reconstruction and there is need for
relocation of those people, so the amount of infrastructure and other amenities
will take a bit of time to put in place,” she said.
She added that Government wanted to also come up with a
sustainable method of assisting the victims of cyclone Idai to ensure that they
become self-reliant again and not always rely on food handouts.
UN resident coordinator Mr Bishow Parajuli urged Government
to quickly come up with an inventory of the infrastructure that had been
destroyed to enable development partners to come up with rescue packages that
suit the extent of damage. Herald
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