STRONG winds hit Umzingwane’s wards 1, 2, 9 and 20 on Sunday, causing a trail of destruction and leaving some of the villagers homeless.
This was confirmed by Umzingwane district development co-ordinator Peter Mahlathini yesterday.
Indications were that the most affected village in the district was Matopo.
Mahlathini, who chairs the district Department of Civil Protection, said they received reports of the destruction, but were yet to visit the area to assess the damage.
“It’s not only ward 9 that was affected,” he said.
“We received reports that ward 1, 2 and 20 were also affected. We are yet to go there and assess the damage.”
Habakkuk Trust, a local civil group, released a report on Tuesday detailing the damage, saying the most affected area falls under Chief Mathe.
Reports say fierce winds tore through the area, destroying homes and leaving numerous families without shelter.
“The affected families are now seeking refuge in makeshift shelter . . . there is overcrowding in the few remaining huts,” the report read.
It further stated that ward 9 councillor Bekezela Ndlovu has since sent an SOS for assistance highlighting the critical need for construction materials, temporary tents, food and bedding.
According to reports poor network connectivity was hampering efforts to assess the damage.
“Our teams face significant challenges due to poor mobile network coverage,” said Ndlovu.
“We cannot accurately say how many households were affected, and there’s fear that some affected households remain unreachable.”
Ndlovu said there was need to urgently support affected families.
“We require immediate assistance to provide shelter, food and basic necessities to these families. We cannot let them suffer alone,” he said.
Habakkuk Trust Community Advocacy Action Team youth desk co-ordinator Ntobizodwa Nkala described the incident as a double tragedy for the community.
“The ongoing drought has left households food insecure and struggling with livestock losses. Now, the winds have taken away their homes, leaving them vulnerable and exposed,” Nkala said.
The district has been severely affected by the the El Niño-induced drought, which decimated their livestock and worsened food insecurity.
Habakkuk Trust expressed concern about lack of network connectivity in many parts of the district which is blamed for failure to reach communities during natural disasters.
“Although these efforts have yet to yield results, they underscore the need for reliable communication infrastructure in disaster response,” the trust noted.