(Hon. Soda Zhemu, Minister of Mines and Mining Development)
BY ILYANA Sithole, ZIMBA WAVE MEDIA, Harare
As the rain season is upon us, a few days ago the Government of Zimbabwe Meteorological Services Department warned the country of heavy rains that would hit and exceed 50mm accompanied with hailstorm and lightning in some areas.
The rain was feared to be vicious and would probably blow off roofs, cause flash floods and falling of trees due to strong winds. In turn, people were advised to stay indoors during thunderstorms unless it’s an emergency. The rain would also affect outdoor activities and therefore planning with the weather in mind was advised.
With several people having been washed away in flooding water in different incidents across the country in attempts to cross flooded rivers on foot or in vehicles, there was need to take caution on the road as visibility reduces due to rain and there would be flood challenges.
Also giving warning to stakeholders was Hon. Z. Soda the Minister of Mines and Mining Development who warned all miners; large scale, medium scale and small in particular artisinal miners with a number of miners cashing in their chips and others cheating death. He stressed on the intensive exposure to flooding, drowning, weakened ground leading to fall and ground subsidence as well as dam breaches which unfortunately result to death.
In his official statement on rains, small scale artisinal miners were entirely encouraged to stop mining and resume when the rains stopped. Through his ministry’s Mining Engineering Department a Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) campaign was conducted to create awareness of dangers lurking in the field and they encouraged miners to put into practice what they had learnt. He also advised that to save lives miners should share the information they got from the campaign with those who did not attend.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and publicity Nick Mangwana also contended in a post on social media also said going underground was “not worth it”.
With increased fatalities on the roads during the rain season, Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) also issued out a number of things expected of motorist (pedestrians included) to reduce exposure to road accidents. In the event of heavy storms motorists were advised to park their vehicles and proceed after the rain fizzles down. They were reminded to always keep a safe breaking distance and make sure their headlights are on and preferably on dipped beam among other safety precautions.
In general, the season exposes the public with more dangers except for the good it brings in the agriculture sector were farmers are advised to take advantage of the rain and plant early maturity crops which help sustain renewed hope in food security.
