By Shongedzai Mugwagwa
The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) has donated an assortment of goods and relief aid worth $3 million to victims of Tropical Cyclone Idai, which recently devastated and decimated the Eastern part of the country, the Harare Post reports.
The national road administrator told the Harare Post that they were moved by the crisis that the Manicaland Province residents found themselves in after they were attacked by the tropical cyclone Idai.
Information trickling in has revealed that the deadliest tropical cyclone Idai death toll has risen to 339.
ZINARA Acting Chief Executive Officer Mathlene Mujokoro led the delegation to Mutare where they handed over the relief aid to the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) receiving depot.
“In addition to the official donation, ZINARA staff members have launched an initiative to make voluntary contributions to support the relief effort. Such donations will be collected and forwarded to the relevant authorities,” said Mujokoro.
Mujokoro said ZINARA had been on the ground since the cyclone left a trail of tragedy. She added that they have since accelerated the construction and rehabilitation of roads and bridges which were decimated by the cyclone, hindering aid to reach the affected areas.
ZINARA joins many others from the corporate sector who had generously donated to the cause.
The relief package was approved by the road administrator’s board during one of their meetings held recently, and will be distributed across the affected areas on the basis of the scale of damage suffered by each area.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy and Power Development through their biggest parastatal, Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) has since restored electricity supply in some parts of Ngangu and Kopa.
Various corporate sectors and well wishers have shown interest in aiding Government by adopting some of the costs which need to be settled.
A source from the CPU has hinted that Econet Wireless, Chabadza United Methodist Church in Zimbabwe and International Organisation of Migration (IOM) have indicated their readiness to construct a school in Manicaland.
