Makorokoza forced aboveground as shafts flood

By Lovemore Chazingwa in Kadoma

While the rains that are continuously pounding the city bring glad tidings for the generality of the population, there is a section of the community whose lives have been thrown into turmoil.
The rains have indeed brought smiles to most households that now expect bumper harvests to cushion them from the country’s economic hardships. The past few farming seasons did not bring much cheer.
This season, Kadoma is receiving incessant downpours almost daily.
Kadoma has the highest rainfall total recorded in a twenty-four hour period in the country after logging 24mm from New Year’s Eve till 8am on New Year’s Day.
Since then, the heavens seem have become overly generous to the city of gold, however, some residents in most high-density suburbs say they have had enough.
Some homes in low-lying areas have been flooded with a good number of houses filtering in water from below due to sub-standard, cracked floors.
“There’s too much water in the ground now and our homes are flooding from both the surface and below. It’s a terrible scenario we’re in,” Clara Machingauta told Nhau.
The flooding is exacerbated by a poor drainage system.
In the section conveniently referred to as downtown, Rimuka, covering Nyambo to Munda Streets, the situation is dire.
Residents are constantly seen scooping rainwater from inside their homes as a result of the flooding. This also includes sewerage. The unmistakable dark green algae colour of sewage dominates.
Sewerage has become prevalent in most areas as toilets are bursting as a result of the overflow.
“This time of the year we experience a lot of flooding hence sewerage systems burst. It’s a common feature during the rainy season,” said a member of the department of works, who was attending to a manhole bursting at the seams at a house along Mateyaunga Street.
Seeing destroyed storm drains, burst sewer pipes and overflowing toilets is common in high-density areas of Eiffel Flats, Ingezi, Munhumutapa and Waverly.
A resident from the old Ingezi suburb said blockage is also caused by uncollected garbage which is heaped in storm water drains.
“You see, we have a challenge with residents who dump litter everywhere. They cause the blockage of storm water drains. Council cleared some of the drains before the onset of the rains, but these culprits worsen blockages,” Timothy Pfavai fumed.
The same sentiments were echoed by a Rimuka resident, Melusi Kaitano from Ward 5: “The section behind Rimuka High to Tafadzwa Infill is now blocked by garbage dumped by residents. Add to that, council refuse collection is erratic.
“Under these circumstances, when it rains, as is the case, we experience flooding as runoff is blocked. The water cannot flow to where it is supposed to collect. We’re also having problems with our toilets that are overflowing due to the rains.”
Ward 2, which includes decommissioned GB and SQ section, has a perennial problem of sewerage pipe bursts, poor drainage and overflowing ablution facilities.

Farmers, Makorokoza
Meanwhile, some farmers are already worried about their crops.
“If these rains continue without a chance of sunshine we may not harvest properly,” elderly resident and farmer Kizito Samhembere told Nhau.
The rains have not only affected living conditions within suburbs, but turned upside down artisanal and small scale miners’ activities as well.
“We welcome the rains for the good they bring to our lives. Sadly, we cannot continue with our mining activities because most claims are currently flooded. It becomes dangerous to venture underground in these conditions.
“We tried to secure our mining site but it was slowly sagging-in. Our syndicate of seven had to come back and wait until the conditions were conducive,” Tichaona ‘Falcon’ Gora, who operates in Chakari revealed.
A host of other small scale miners operating in Brompton, Etina, Glasgow, Patchway, Pingo and Venice among other gold-rich locations, echoed the same sentiments.
These days, all they do is gather to discuss their plight, partly blaming it on the Covid-19 lockdown and unrelenting rains. Nhau/Indaba