For many the onset of the rains is met with boundless joy as farmers take to the field while for the rest the showers of blessing are a fresh start.
This is, however, not the case for some residents of
Budiriro who were left stranded after their houses built on wetlands were
engulfed by floods.
In December 2023, some residents of Budiriro were left
stranded after their houses were submerged in water, with some being marooned.
Having built houses on a wetland, the residents did not take into consideration the magnitude of the dangers they could face due to incessant rains. There are some like Cleopatra Marwa, who lost her six-year-old son Agu in the 2023 floods.
While she still clings on to memories and the pain of
losing her son, she is at least grateful after government intervened and
constructed flats in Dzivarasekwa Extension which were officially commissioned
by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on the 8th of August this year.
“We were being told we would be given houses and we were
not sure, but we then saw that this was real. When we came for the
commissioning in August that’s when we knew. We then knew that no one else
would go through what we went through. I don’t want any other mother to go
through what I went through after losing my son. When it rains I still hear my
late son screaming and I hear people crying. Even now just knowing that we are
in December it’s an uncomfortable time for me,” narrated Marwa.
Her joy knows no bounds as Marwa confirms that she could
not afford to build another house with her own resources.
“I do appreciate, what the government did for us. I can
imagine if I was still in Budiriro I would probably have succumbed to stress.
We were given a nice place to stay this was going to take us years to build
something like this. We have everything
here including running water,” she added.
Marwa’s neighbour, Judith Mukonachimwe, reflects on how the
rains would send them scurrying out for cover, a story which is now a distant
memory after the second republic intervened.
“When we came here and were first shown these houses we
were very happy and we said the President has done a good thing for us. We
thought it was a lie, but when the President came we almost carried him on our
backs with joy. Now the clouds and thunderstorms don’t bring fear to her
anymore,” she said. ZBC
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