28 Mar 2019

Zimbabwe has expressed gratitude to Botswana for its continued support following tropical cyclone Idai that has plunged the country into a humanitarian crisis.

Receiving donations on behalf of the Zimbabwean government at Manyame air base in Harare, deputy minister of Local Government and Public Works Ms Jennifer Mhlanga said the gesture by Botswana cemented relations between the two countries and was evidence that African countries were united.

She also applauded SADC countries, civic society and the rest of the world for having heeded the call for assistance from Zimbabwe.

“We continue to receive donations from other countries and various sectors of our society like churches, Botswana included and we are grateful for your interventions in our time of need,” she said.

Ms Mhlanga said most donations  received were food items and expressed gratitude for Botswana’s gesture as it included utensils.

Botswana’s donation included 4 000 dinner plates, 4 000 tea mugs, 4 000 teaspoons, 500 cartons of cooking oil, 480 trays of corned beef, 1200 5kg maize meal, 600 boxes of pots and 4 000 canned beans.

She said the donations would go a long way in alleviating the plight of the cyclone victims, especially the hardest hit district of Chimanimani, near the Mozambique border.

Chimanimani, she said, was the epicenter of the devastation.

“There were certain areas that we could not access but now we are able to access them. Some areas we continue to drop off supplies by air because through land it is impossible to access them,” she said.

Ms Mhlanga said it was not yet possible to estimate the cost of the damage.

“The process of also establishing how many people have died and have been displaced is still underway and we will communicate with the rest of the world once we have established such data,” she said adding that there were fears that another disaster could occur.

She said they would do more to help victims psychologically and fast track plans of relocating affected people for fear of disease outbreaks, which could plunge the country into an even darker crisis.

“We continue to recover bodies of people and we appeal to the world for more support,” said Ms Mhlanga.

Handing over the donation, Botswana’s High Commissioner to Zimbabwe Lieutenant General Matshwenyego Fisher said the country stood shoulder to shoulder with Zimbabwe in its time of need.

“On behalf of the President of Botswana Dr Masisi and the people of Botswana, it is an honour and privilege to hand over a couple of items to be used by the victims of the tropical cyclone Idai,” he said.

Cyclone Idai has affected more than 1.5 million people in the three southern African countries, according to the United Nations and government officials.

Homes, schools, businesses, hospitals and police stations have been destroyed while roads have been washed away and thousands left stranded. ENDS