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Fresh woes haunt Mukorsi victims

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FRESH problems have plagued victims of the Tokwe-Mukorsi floods after thousands of tents at their transit camp at Chingwizi in the Lowveld were destroyed

FRESH problems have plagued victims of the Tokwe-Mukorsi floods after thousands of tents at their transit camp at Chingwizi in the Lowveld were destroyed by heavy rains that hit the area on Wednesday night.

BY EVERSON MUSHAVA CHIEF REPORTER

A heavy storm, which lasted over six hours also destroyed the tent covering the main food storehouse where donors kept mealie-meal and other foodstuffs for distribution to the flood victims.

Yesterday, victims were busy repairing their tattered tents while pestering local government officials, demanding immediate resettlement.

Officials who refused to be identified told NewsDay yesterday that only 300 tents out of over 3 300 withstood the torrents that also washed away a makeshift clinic at the camp and destroyed drugs and equipment.

The holding camp has about 3 400 families, according to Mwenezi district administrator Stanley Chamisa.

“A heavy rainstorm started at around 11pm and ended at around 4am,” an aide who works for an international humanitarian organisation said.

“Tents were destroyed. People were scurrying for cover the better part of the night. It was terrible.”

This came as two humanitarian relief organisations, Unicef and Oxfam, threatened to withdraw aid citing financial problems.

However, officials at the camp said the organisations were not amused that Zanu PF officials were claiming credit for most of the humanitarian work.

Two weeks ago, the villagers watched helplessly as their property was destroyed by another storm while government officials continued to grapple over where to resettle them. It also emerged that the place earmarked for resettlement sat on mineral reserves.

Following similar rains a fortnight ago, the victims staged a demonstration at the district administrator’s offices demanding to be resettled to enable them to construct permanent structures.

Two months after the families were evacuated to Chingwizi camp, government still does not have a clear resettlement plan.

“There are diamond deposits in the area,” a government official said.

“Even if the families are to be resettled, it will be temporary relief as the Mines and Minerals Act supersedes every other Act. The people will still be evicted to give way to mining.”

A map seen by NewsDay showed there were vast reserves of precious and other minerals in the Chingwizi and Masangula areas which had earlier been earmarked for the resettlement of the displaced villagers.

But Chamisa said he was not aware the place was sitting on vast mineral reserves.

Repeated efforts to get comment from Masvingo Provincial Affairs minister Kudakwashe Bhasikiti failed as he was not picking calls yesterday. Questions sent to him had not been responded to by the time of going to print.

The officials said Vice-President Joice Mujuru was informed of the diamond deposits when she visited the area last month.

It also emerged that the same place had earlier been promised to Billy Rautenbach, the owner of Green Fuels for expansion of his ethanol project. Rautenbach is believed to have given Zanu PF the condition that the families could only be resettled on the piece of land provided they would work for his ethanol project.

As tension rises, government was believed to be scouting for alternative land for Rautenbach’s ethanol project in Chirundu, in the event that the families were resettled on the area.

According to the officials, haggling continues in the Chingwizi area, with sources saying 40 officials from the Lands ministry deployed in the area to resettle the flood victims were thrice forced to abandon the proposed resettlement plans, waiting for a go ahead from “above”.

“The lands officials have been deployed to give an impression that demarcation of land for resettlement has started in order to cool tempers. Otherwise, there is nothing on the ground,” the sources said.

Some villagers have been in the transit camp for the past two months.