AS if by design, torrential rainfall swept through peri-urban, rural areas and cut across urban centres, leaving a trail of disaster and devastation in its wake.
In the Caledonia community, 25km east to the outskirts of Harare, Tapiwa Moyo watched helplessly as his makeshift, but viable two tuckshops were swept away by rising floodwaters.
“I’ve never seen anything like this, watching my family’s livelihood being swept away,” he lamented, surveying the damage to the now vacant and devastated space where his tuckshops used to be.
His statement truly encapsulates the devastation the floods have wrought on this former-commercial farm and now a sprawling 10-12 hectare human settlement.
Given the state of the economy, the loss of his wares and other merchandise, a primary source of income and food, has left his family in a precarious situation, with an uncertain future ahead.
This is not just a material loss, but a profound disruption to their way of life and ability to provide for themselves.
Further out in the Limpopo Valley, the story was much the same.
Subsistence farmer Sihle Ndlovu will have a difficult time salvaging what she can from her waterlogged fields, crops she has tended to with such care now ruined.
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“This is our only source of food,” she said, her voice laced with despair.
“How will we survive?”
As the deluges moved inwards, the urban communities of Harare were next to bear the brunt of the relentless rains.
For 49-year-old Idah Bepe, who lives around the Kopje area in the capital, the overwhelming waters were more than just an inconvenience; it was a wake-up call.
“This level of devastation is unprecedented in the decade we’ve lived here,” Bepe said solemnly.
“It’s as if the city is sending a clear message that it can no longer sustain the burdens of its own rapid expansion.”
The recent rains did more than just flood Harare streets — they exposed a critical flaw in the city’s infrastructure.
Struggling to withstand the realities of climate change, the outdated systems are clearly ill-equipped to handle the intensifying extreme weather events that climate experts warn will only become more frequent.
Urgent action is imperative.
Countrywide, the impact of the flooding has been profound, stretching from rural outposts, peri-urban to urban centres.
Families like Moyo’s and Bepe's lost some of their most precious possessions, with local businesses being forced to close doors.
“My shop was fully stocked when the rains struck,” lamented Fred Chikonamombe, a small business owner in the city’s downscale zone.
“Now, everything is ruined. We have nothing left.”
The emotional burden is clear — city residents grapple not only with physical devastation, but the looming fear of future floods threatening their livelihoods.
The heavy rains brought a significant challenge to internet connectivity, as experienced by Jimmy Chitiyo at an internet café in the city centre.
With the cables submerged in floodwater, Chitiyo lamented: “It’s nearly impossible to maintain a stable connection.
“We depend on the internet for everything and these rains have completely disrupted our service.”
The disruption to this critical digital infrastructure has negatively impacted businesses and individuals who rely on the internet for their daily operations.
City leaders are also echoing the same concerns across urban communities.
As Engineer Sipho Moyo, a city planner, explained: “Most urban centres’ infrastructure simply was not built to handle the scale of rapid urbanisation we’re witnessing.
“The drainage systems are woefully inadequate, and the rapid population growth has overwhelmed the ability to properly maintain and upgrade these critical facilities.”
Experts point out that it is clear that the urban centres’ ageing infrastructure is struggling to keep pace with the realities of urban population growth and the changing climate.
Urgent intervention is needed to address these systemic shortcomings.
The conversation around urban flooding cannot be divorced from the broader context of climate change.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, cities in developing countries, such as Harare, are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of global warming.
Rising temperatures are leading to unpredictable rainfall patterns and the city’s ageing infrastructure is ill-equipped to handle such changes.
“Climate change is not an abstract issue; it is a reality that we are living with everyday,” says Nyasha Chirwa, a climate scientist.
“The floods we experienced are a direct result of these changing patterns.
“If we don’t adapt, we will continue to face these disasters.”
As the torrential rainwaters recede and fatigued communities begin the long process of recovery, the question remains: What can be done to prevent this from worsening?
Bepe’s resilience in the face of adversity is admirable.
Even amid the challenges of natural disasters, her determination to fight for her community and not let the floods define them is inspiring.
“The key is to approach this issue with a solution-oriented mind-set, drawing on the strengths and resources of the government, civil society and private sector to develop strategies that empower and support local communities,” said Ruben Akili, national co-ordinator for the Combined Harare Residents Association, in a recent interview.
As communities look to the future, the resilience of their people and infrastructure will continue to be tried and tested.
The lessons learned from these deluges must guide and direct communities and their environs towards a sustainable path, ensuring that they can weather the storms of tomorrow.
