A young couple and their seven-day-old baby were swept away as they attempted to cross a flooded Sanyati River in Gokwe, Midlands Province, in a makeshift canoe.
The incident occurred on Sunday at around 5PM as the couple
from Mutukani Village under Chief Chireya in Gokwe North tried to take their
baby to a hospital across the river.
Simbarashe Kanyonde (27), his wife Lucia Dzimba (23), and
their baby lost their lives after the makeshift canoe they were using capsized
midway and were swept away by the river. Midlands police spokesperson,
Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko confirmed the incident.
“The two wanted to take their ill child to Chidamoyo
Hospital to seek treatment for the baby. When they reached the Sanyati River,
they boarded a canoe intending to cross to the other side. The canoe, however,
capsized in the middle of the river and the family was swept away,” said
Inspector Mahoko.
The bodies of Dzimba and her baby who was tied to her back,
were found floating and retrieved by villagers about 700 metres down the river.
The bodies have since been taken to Gokwe North District
Hospital. Police and villagers continue to search for Kanyonde.
“We urge members of the public to desist from crossing
flooded rivers to avoid unnecessary loss of lives,” said Inspector Mahoko.
The development comes at a time when police in the province
have warned members of the public against crossing flooded rivers, amid a surge
in cases of drowning since the onset of the rainy season.
“We are experiencing an increase in deaths due to drowning
since the onset of the 2023-24 rain season. We would like to take this
opportunity to alert members of the public not to cross flooded rivers,” said
Insp Mahoko. “Instead, people must wait for rivers to subside before they
attempt to cross. We also discourage swimming in flooded pools and rivers by
children and urge parents and guardians to monitor their children.”
The situation in Gokwe, however, is dire after Sesame
Bridge, which connects Gokwe North and Gokwe South Districts was recently swept
away following heavy rains.
Just last week Pokwe Bridge, which links Gokwe South
District and Defe was destroyed by heavy rains leaving villagers stranded.
The development leaves people in those areas alienated as
they cannot access Gokwe South, which is the major business centre.
A teacher from Nembudziya in Gokwe North, Mr Isaac Tshuma,
said he was not able to visit his family in Kwekwe for close to a month as
rivers were flooded and impassable.
“Gokwe has many rivers and most of them are flooded. In
most cases people are forced to risk crossing flooded rivers so that they can
access areas like Nemangwe and Gokwe Centre,” he said.
“I was forced to cross a flooded river last week because I
wanted to see my family, which I had last seen three weeks back.”
With the help of Gokwe-Sesame legislator, Madron Matiza,
the villagers constructed a temporary footbridge, which they are using to cross
the Sesame River.
Gokwe North assistant district development coordinator, Mr
Stewart Gwatirinda, however, said the footbridge was no longer safe and could
cause another disaster.
“We applaud the legislator for coming up with the
footbridge as a stop-gap measure but its continuous use is no longer safe for
the public now,” he said.
“We were hoping that the Government could have stepped in
already by now but people are forced to continue using the footbridge because
it is the only way to Gokwe South District, which we heavily rely on.”
Mr Gwatirinda said some people were choosing not to use the
footbridge and were rather crossing through the flooded river.
“There will be vehicles on both sides of the river, which
they use and some people especially businesspeople who carry a lot of stuff are
risking their lives and crossing through the flooded river and we fear the
worst might happen,” he said.
Mr Gwatirinda said there was a need for urgent action to
repair the bridge, which also continues to be damaged by heavy downpours.
“The damage is worsening by the day on the bridge and we
call upon the Government to step in as a matter of urgency before we lose more
lives,” he said.
“As Gokwe North we are cut from business and people are
being forced to risk their lives hence urgent action on the bridge is needed.”
Mr Gwatirinda said the three local authorities, Gokwe
South, North and Gokwe Rural District Council, are working on repairing Jahana
Road, which is an alternative to connecting the two affected districts.
“We agreed that Jahana Road, which is a gravel road, be
graded so that it gives villagers an alternative. The machinery and equipment
are there but we are now working on facilitating fuel so that the road can be
repaired and can be used.
“Only a few kilometres are damaged and that can be an easy
option while we wait for the bridge to be repaired,” said Mr Gwatirinda. Herald
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