THE latest alert from the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) and the Department of Civil Protection is not simply another routine weather update.
It is an urgent reminder of a recurring national crisis — one that Zimbabwe has failed to address with the seriousness it demands.
Intense thunderstorms, heavy rainfall and potential flooding are forecast to sweep across several provinces, with more than 50mm expected in some areas within just 24 hours.
For communities in Manicaland, Masvingo, Harare Metropolitan and parts of Mashonaland East and Central, this is not just inclement weather.
It is a warning of yet another cycle of fear, displacement and preventable loss.
Zimbabwe’s worsening flood disasters are not a new phenomenon.
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For decades, certain districts in the Zambezi Basin — such as Muzarabani and Guruve — have been synonymous with seasonal flooding.
Tsholotsho and communities along the Gwayi River in the Matabeleland region face similar annual threats.
The Midlands has not been spared either, with neighbourhoods in Gweru — including Mkoba, Woodlands, Ascot, Mambo and Lundi Park — repeatedly flooding after heavy downpours.
Meanwhile, Chipinge and Chimanimani stand as national symbols of devastation, their histories scarred by cyclones and destructive floods that claimed lives and livelihoods.
Even Zimbabwe’s major urban centres — Bulawayo and the capital, Harare — are increasingly vulnerable.
In Harare, flooded roads, impassable suburbs and overflowing drainage systems are no longer uncommon.
In fact, they have become part of the city’s rainy season identity, a grim reflection of collapsing infrastructure and years of neglect.
Bulawayo’s flat topography, coupled with ageing an drainage network, has created similar challenges.
But it is misleading — and convenient — to blame nature alone.
The uncomfortable truth is that Zimbabwe’s flood vulnerability is as much a product of human decisions as it is of climatic patterns.
Authorities at local and national levels have allowed, and
in many cases actively encouraged, settlement in flood-prone areas.
Wetlands, riverbanks and floodplains have been parcelled out as residential stands under the guise of “empowerment”.
Yet the real beneficiaries have often been political actors seeking to leverage on land for short-term advantage.
As a result, each rainy season brings a predictable wave of destruction.
Families living in low-lying areas watch their homes fill up with water while public officials issue familiar statements about “preparedness” and “monitoring the situation”.
These statements, however, rarely translate to meaningful action.
Instead, Zimbabwe continues to treat disaster response as a seasonal ritual — one that begins with warnings and ends with appeals for donations.
This cycle must be broken.
What Zimbabwe urgently needs is a paradigm shift in how it approaches flood risks. This requires more than weather updates and temporary evacuations.
It demands long-term planning backed by adequate funding.
The Department of Civil Protection should not be reduced to a reactive institution scrambling after disasters.
It should be equipped with modern early warning systems, reliable communication networks, strong co-ordination structures and critically, the resources to act before tragedies unfold.
This places Finance minister Mthuli Ncube squarely at the centre of the debate.
His budget priorities will determine whether Zimbabwe continues lurching from one flood disaster to the next or finally invests in systems capable of saving lives and property.
Disaster preparedness must not be treated as a budgetary afterthought.
It must become an integral part of national planning, just as important as road construction, agriculture or education.
Zimbabwe is facing the reality of climate change — more intense storms, unpredictable rainfall patterns and a rising risk of flash floods. What was once a seasonal inconvenience has become a national security concern.
Communities cannot continue bearing the brunt of failures they are they did not contribute to.
The rains are here. The alerts have been sounded.
What remains to be seen is whether the government will continue the cycle of neglect — or finally confront this crisis with the seriousness it deserves.
Only decisive action, backed by real funding and political will, can prevent yet another avoidable tragedy.