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Bulawayo Bureau

ONE person is feared dead, while 12 others who had been marooned were rescued following floods in West Nicholson that also rendered a section of the Bulawayo- Beitbridge Highway impassable for nearly 12 hours on Tuesday.The flooding occurred after Mbembesi River, about a kilometre from West Nicholson Business Centre, burst its banks, cutting off traffic on the busy highway to Beitbridge and further down to South Africa.

Vehicles only started crossing the flooded portion of the highway around 4PM. This came as the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) said three dams in Matabeleland South — Mayfair, Insiza and Silalatshani were all full and spilling.

Communities living along Mzingwane River and its tributaries notably Insiza, Silalatshani, Nkankezi and others must be on the lookout as these rivers are flooded said the CPU. The 12 had been marooned for several hours at the confluence of Mbembesi and Umzingwane rivers. They were only rescued by a helicopter which was dispatched from Bulawayo by the CPU. The helicopter crew was also tasked to search for more people who might have been in the same predicament.

In Gwanda town, a flooded Mtshabezi River also cut off traffic to and from areas such as Blanket Mine, Vumbachikwe Mine, Makwe and Kezi.

Matabeleland South police spokesperson Inspector Philisani Ndebele said a helicopter was dispatched at midday to West Nicholson to rescue the stranded people.

“It was also going to comb the area to see whether there were no other people who were in danger of being swept away by the waters” said Insp Ndebele.