TSHOLOTSHO, Zimbabwe (AP) – From kitchen items to livestock and even her house, Assa Mkwananzi says she has “lost it all” to floods that have hit southern Zimbabwe.
“We lost all our blankets, pots and cooking utensils, our goats and chickens as well because of the heavy rains,” Mkwananzi told The Associated Press in the southern district of Tsholotsho, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of Bulawayo.
Since December, floods have killed 246 people, injured 128 and left nearly 2,000 homeless, Saviour Kasukuwere, Zimbabwe’s minister of local government, said last week. Those who have survived the floods say they have lost their possessions.
“The only thing we managed to save is that suitcase with a few clothes,” said Joice Ncube, another villager.
Like Mkwananzi, she is now housed at a camp where survivors are crammed in tents and plastic shelters and survive on charity.