Hailstorms, a helicopter and the iron fist of control

On Sunday 27 September a weather warning was put out by the Met Department. Storms were coming, it said. Heavy downpours, lightning, thunder and strong winds were to be expected between 29 September and 1 October.

That was the understatement. My home area of Marondera went into a state of complete whiteout as it always does.

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It’s notorious in this area: thick mist, slanting drizzle and temperatures plunging from 30 to 13 degrees in the day and down to eight degrees at night.

The blankets came back out of the cupboard, shorts and T shirts were put away and we wrapped up in thick clothes and woolly hats and avoided driving due to the thick mist.

It was all very unusual for this time of year, the eve of October, which is known as suicide month because it is so hot.

On the last day of September, with thick mist and low cloud, the helicopter containing controversial, money flaunting, politically connected tenderpreneur billionaire Wicknell Chivayo, his wife and three others crashed at 5pm west of Marondera.

The fatal crash – there were no survivors – was just two farms down the road from my seized farm.

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The whispers, rumours and conspiracy theories swirled thicker than the mist.

But the real storms hadn’t even started yet …

A fierce wind got up and very quickly pods, leaves, sticks and debris were flying everywhere. Trees were bent over, vivid streaks of lightning crackled and then the rain came down. No gentle introduction to the early start of the rainy season, just pounding, torrential rain and hail stones.

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Masvingo took the early brunt of the sweeping storm on Monday 5 October with strong winds, heavy rain and a very destructive hailstorm.

Some 17 000 homes were affected; 8 500 had their roofs blown off completely and 90% had their windows broken, solar panels destroyed and belongings strewn in the flood water.

Vehicle windscreens were broken, streets flooded and verges lined with thick hail.

Factories, warehouses and retail outlets had broken roofs, water damage and stock losses.

Major institutions were damaged including the University campus, Polytechnic, Teachers College, Passport Office, Grain Marketing Board, Veterinary Office and Clinics.

Give … and take

President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a State of Disaster in affected areas of the province.

Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Daniel Garwe said: “While the State is deploying all available resources, we make an urgent appeal to the private sector and partners to join hands with the Government.”

But wait, while Garwe appealed for help and as thousands of families tried to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives, a very different message was coming from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government.

Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti warned NGOs and private people against distributing help.

All relief aid must go through government channels only, he said. The iron fist of control ever present.

Stark contrast

While that shocking news was being digested, a Presidential Ball was being held in Harare by Zanu-PF to raise funds – not for hailstorm victims, but for the impending Zanu-PF Conference in Chinhoyi.

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US$9.5 million was raised for the conference that evening.

Next the police put out a notice that during the entire period of the Zanu-PF Congress haulage trucks were ordered to take an 87km detour around Chinhoyi.

This was in order to “facilitate the smooth flow of traffic and minimize disruptions during the Zanu-PF Conference”.

Ebb and flow

As the hail melted on one side of the country and the mist lifted on the other, I measured 70ml of rain in my rain gauge after a week of mayhem.

I gave a friend a couple of roof sheets to replace his that had blown off in the storm and our life went back to ‘abnormal Zimbabwe’ as the sun came out again.

The next morning ordinary people were out early everywhere, carrying cut-off plastic bottles or plastic bags.

Bent over, they were collecting flying ants on roadside verges, under trees and near anthills.

This is the real Zimbabwe.

© Cathy Buckle

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