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Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
Eight family members, among them four children, have been forced to share one room after a lightning bolt razed down one of their huts at a homestead in Siyoka area, Ward 12, some 100km west of Beitbridge town.

Property worth thousands of dollars, clothes and food went up in smoke during a thunderstorm early on Sunday morning.

Beitbridge District’s Civil Protection Unit Chairperson (CPU), Mrs Sikhangazile Mafu, who is also the District Development Coordinator (DDC), said they had sent a local disaster management team to assess the damage on the ground.

“We have a team led by Ward 12 councillor on the ground to assess the damage and the needs of the family and to also check if they are more homesteads that were affected by the same storm in Siyoka area,” she said.

“The information we are having so far is that eight family members, including four children and four adults, are now sharing one hut as a result of this unfortunate incident.”

Mrs Mafu said they had started mobilising food, non-food items (blankets, clothes, sanitary wear, pots, and soap), and building materials for the family to build another house.

At the moment, she said, they will use tents as temporary shelter for the eight family members.