By Staff Writer
ZIMBABWE has handed over a consignment of 300 tons of mealie-meal to the neighboring Cyclone Freddy ravaged Malawi in an effort to assist the communities.
Cyclone Freddy entered Southern Malawi after hitting Mozambique twice, bringing torrential rainfall accompanied by strong winds, causing heavy flash flooding and landslides. Why did the death toll rise exponentially in Malawi, while neighbouring Mozambique fared better?
In Chilobwe Township within Blantyre, Malawi’s commercial capital, residents say a stream of water cascaded from nearby Soche Mountain at midnight, literally sweeping everything along its path. A few people managed to escape, but dozens were found dead by morning, mostly buried in the mud, as the death toll rose to 500 across the country.
Cyclone Freddy has significantly impacted livelihoods, with over 194,500 livestock dead and nearly 91,000 injured, while over 204,800 hectares of land have been submerged or washed away.
Despite a decrease in cases in recent weeks, the cholera outbreak in Malawi is currently the biggest in Africa and the passage of Cyclone Freddy is posing renewed risks, according to WHO.
Announcing the development, the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Zimbabwe confirmed that the consignment has since been accepted in the neighboring nation.
“Today,the Zimbabwean Ambassador to Malawi, Dr. Nancy Saungweme, handed over a consignment of 300 tonnes of mealie-meal which was donated by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to his counterpart, Lazarus Chakwera,” the statement said in part.
The donation was received by the Deputy Minister of Local Government, Unity and Culture, Hon. Owen Chomanika, in Blantyre.
