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Michael Magoronga Midlands Correspondent
Families whose homes were destroyed by hailstorm in Silobela and Zhombe last week started receiving assistance from well-wishers. The hailstorm destroyed 42 homes.

The assistance is coming through various stakeholders including the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) and Non-Governmental Organisations. Germany Agro-Action, an NGO, donated water buckets, bathing and washing soaps and water treatment pills to 42 families in Zhombe’s Ward 32 and Ward 21 in Silobela on Saturday last week.

In an interview during the donations, Germany Agro-Action national emergency coordinator Ms Odrie Ziro said the gesture was in response to Government’s call for help.

“This donation is in support of the Government, which has always been our mandate as defined in most of our programmes. This is basically a stop gap measure as we seek to mobilise some more help which we are going to bring within a week or two. Actually, the major reason for this visit was to assess the situation, but we could not come empty handed. Now that we know the extent of the damage, we now know what needs to be mobilised,” she said.

Ms Ziro said her organisation would assist the affected families with funding for the construction of temporary structures. Silobela legislator Mthokozisi Manoki Mpofu, who also visited the affected families, donated 31 bags of cement to help in the construction of houses. He expressed gratitude to the CPU taskforce for a quick response.

“We thank the Government through the CPU taskforce for such a quick response and coming to help our people in such a time of need. We appreciate the effort being put to see that these people are helped,” said Mr Mpofu. Zibagwe Rural District Council chief executive officer Mr Farayi Machaya said more assistance was coming.

“We are receiving overwhelming response from stakeholders and from the look of things, the affected families will have new houses in a short space of time,” he said.