Source: NEW: 10 000 Chiredzi and Beitbridge flood victims get food relief – herald
Theseus Mauruki Shambare in CHIKOMBEDZI
ABOUT 10 000 people who were affected by flooding in Chiredzi and Beitbridge districts during the 2025/26 rainy season are currently receiving food and other basic household commodities as humanitarian agencies scale up assistance to communities still recovering from the disaster.
The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society, through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF), is targeting vulnerable households that lost homes, food stocks and essential belongings during the 2025–26 summer cropping season.
Beneficiaries are receiving essential food and grocery items including rice, sugar, salt, cooking oil and soap, alongside other household necessities to help families meet their immediate needs as they recover from the effects of the floods.
Intense downpours between December 2025 and February 2026 caused severe flooding in parts of the two districts, destroying homes, crops and household property while disrupting access to basic services.
Strong winds and flash floods caused houses to partially or totally collapse, damaged roofs and left walls deeply cracked, while families lost blankets, clothing, bedding and cooking utensils.
In farming communities, waterlogging and hailstorms destroyed maize, small grains and horticultural crops at critical growth stages, worsening food insecurity.
In Chiredzi, 170 people from 37 families in Mhlanguleni were among those receiving food assistance on Friday.
The distribution is being conducted concurrently in Boli and several areas of Beitbridge.
For Muhlava Chikendhlemusi of Chindlale village, the assistance came after floods destroyed her home.
“When the floods came, my house was destroyed and we lost some of the things we had worked for. It has not been easy living with the effects of the floods, especially because we still have to rebuild our home and find ways of getting food,” she said.
“This assistance has come as a big relief to my family. At least we have something to eat as we try to put our lives back together.”
For 62-year-old Senzeni Mahachi of Gundani village, under Chief Mupapa, the assistance will ease pressure on families struggling to put food on the table.
“The floods made life very difficult for us because we lost food and some of the things we depended on at home. Since then, we have been struggling to make ends meet,” she said.
“Receiving this food today has given us great relief because we can now take something home for our families to eat.”
The effects of the flooding went beyond damaged homes and lost crops, with swollen rivers and damaged bridges isolating communities in Chiredzi South and parts of Mwenezi, disrupting access to hospitals, markets and schools.
In Beitbridge, flooding also disrupted water supplies after electricity to water pumps was affected, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases.
IFRC planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting officer Ms Tariro Kamangira said the organisation was working with the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society in support of Government’s disaster response.
“As IFRC, we work with the Zimbabwe Red Cross and we play an auxiliary role to the Government of Zimbabwe. We are there to save lives. Wherever disaster strikes, we are the first ones to respond, to make sure we save lives,” she said.
Zimbabwe Red Cross Society secretary-general Mr Elias Hwenga said the assistance was aimed at helping families meet immediate needs while supporting them to rebuild.
“For families who have lost their homes, food and household belongings to flooding, this assistance is about more than meeting immediate needs; it is about restoring dignity and giving communities the support they need to begin rebuilding their lives,” he said.
The DREF response also covers shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene, multipurpose cash assistance, health, protection, gender and inclusion, and community engagement.
The Zimbabwe Red Cross Society has already provided shelter and WASH non-food items, with food and other basic household assistance now being scaled up.
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