Government Activates Civil Protection as Masvingo Counts Hailstorm Losses

Masvingo — The Zimbabwe Government  has activated the Civil Protection Unit and says it is working flat out to assist families whose homes were damaged by the severe hailstorm that struck Masvingo on Monday evening, October 5, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti, has said.

“Yesterday we were unfortunately struck in Zimbabwe with hailstorms in Masvingo. A lot of families lost their properties, many houses were damaged and a lot of vehicles,” Engineer Muguti said.  

“I’m glad to say that several families have now been transferred and put in safe shelters. As government, we’ve activated the Civil Protection Unit, which is responsible for such emergencies.

"We’re working flat out together with other stakeholders to ensure that at least we can be able to renovate the houses for those who are affected, and be able to continue supporting, be it in terms of food, shelter, and just making sure that everyone is taken care of," he said.

He confirmed that the Civil Protection Unit was activated and deployed to Masvingo Province the moment the storm occurred and is now on the ground working hand-in-glove with residents.  

“Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do for the motor vehicles which were destroyed by the hailstorms. I’m sure the insurance can cover that. But for the houses themselves, I think it’s something which is very important that we step in and assist," Engineer Muguti said.

The storm, which hit shortly after 5pm on Monday and subsided around 7pm, battered residential suburbs and the central business district with unusually large hailstones, violent winds and heavy rain.

More than 60 houses reportedly had roofs blown off or severely damaged, windows and sliding gates shattered and solar panels destroyed.

Rainwater flooded many interiors. Vehicles were dented and windscreens broken, while furniture shops and supermarkets suffered smashed windows.

Trees were also uprooted and power lines brought down, causing outages and flash flooding in several areas.

Masvingo Mayor, Councillor Aleck Tabe, described the damage as significant and deeply distressing, noting that several families had been left with homes exposed.

He said the city has opened Mucheke Hall and Rujeko Hall as temporary shelters.

Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Secretary, Dr. Addmore Pazvakavambwa, said the Provincial Civil Protection Unit had been activated, while Civil Protection Unit Chief Director, Nathan Nkomo, confirmed about 60 households were affected, with no injuries recorded so far.

Engineer Muguti urged people who may be affected by similar weather events to contact their district development coordinators or local authoritt town clerks, who will take action through Civil Protection structures.  

He also revealed that a national emergency hotline, 666, is being established and will soon become operational.  

Potraz is also reportedly working with mobile network operators under the Civil Protection Act to keep the country on full alert.

Engineer Muguti warned that more hailstorms are expected, particularly in Harare, with showers of hail possible from Tuesday evening.  

“We are encouraging people to just take precaution whenever they see dark clouds which are mounting and that rains are coming in.

I think it’s not a good time for us to be travelling. But as it is currently, unfortunately we can’t control the weather, but we can be able to support where we can,” Engineer Muguti said.

Great Zimbabwe University has postponed its graduation ceremony, originally set for Wednesday, October 7,  to 23 October after the storm damaged marquees and infrastructure at the venue.