A father and his 8-year-old daughter died after being swept away by a flooded river in Sanyati on Saturday. The incessant rains that have been pounding some parts of the country for the past two weeks have revived hope of a good harvest for the majority of farmers.

However, the rains have also resulted in the loss of lives and a trail of destruction, with the latest incident of loss of lives having occurred in Sanyati on Saturday when a father and his 8-year-old daughter died after they were swept away by ferocious water. ZRP National Spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident.

He said, “We have a sad incident which happened in Sanyati yesterday where two juveniles were sent by their parents to go and fetch firewood. Later, the juveniles decided to rest while putting their legs in a water stream and the soil gave in leading to the 8-year-old being swept away. The 12-year-old went on to call her father and when he came and tried to rescue the child but unfortunately, he was also swept away. As the Police, we implore parents to take good care of their children.”

On Friday a mother and her baby also lost their lives in the Mutasa district of Manicaland Province following a landslide that struck them at the Wattle Company compound.

To date, more than 160 pieces of infrastructure including the Sesame Bridge have been destroyed. The government is working flat out to retain normalcy in the affected communities.

According to the Civil Protection Department, more than 70 people have succumbed to rain-related disasters since the beginning of the rainfall season in October this year.

In other news – Former Highlanders striker Patrick Mpofu dies

Former Highlanders striker Patrick Mpofu has died. He was 39 years old. Mpofu, popularly known as Mboma during playing days, died on Monday 1 January 2024.

His death comes after he struggled with a long illness in the past year. Highlanders announced the former striker’s demise in a statement, saying: Read More