By Rex Mphisa
GWANDA was flooded after two small dams upstream of Gwanda town along the Mtshabezi River were breached by heavy inflows from torrential rains.
Matabeleland South Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Albert Nguluvhe on Monday said dams at Mtshabezi High School and Insindi which is privately-owned had been breached.
Nguluvhe was addressing journalists after his tour of legacy projects being undertaken as part of the preparations to the country’s 46th Independence celebrations to be held in Matabeleland South.
Officials in Matabeleland South including the Municipality of Gwanda are worried about the size of the bridge across Mtshabezi River submerged during type floods.
“That flooding was not caused by ordinary rains but there are some dams that breached. From time to time such dams must be inspected because they can breach,” said Nguluvhe.
“There is a private dam at a farm and another dam for Mtshabezi High School breached as a result of the rains and that is the cause for floods,” he said.
The Zimbabwe National Water Authority warned villagers living downstream of the river to take heed soon after the dam walls were breached.
Traffic was disrupted between Gwanda and its section across Mtshabezi and the road linking that town to Maphisa and other parts of the sprawling Gwanda district.
Concerns have been previously raised about the size of the one lane low-lying bridge which Nguluvhe said would attended to ahead of independence.
“We will approach the Zimbabwe National Àrmy to have military bridges on standby in case we receive rains,” he said.
Independence celebrations in Gokwe in 2025 were disrupted by rains.
Media reports from Gwanda said Zinwa dismissed as false rumours that Mtshabezi dam which also supplies Bulawayo had breached.
The reports quoted Matabeleland South chairperson of the Civil Protection Unit Zachariah Jusah, saying investigations showed that flooding was mainly caused by a breach at Insindi Dam, located on a private farm in Gwanda, where the wall of the 5 000-megalitre dam collapsed.
The floods destroyed key infrastructure, including roads, bridges, footbridges and homesteads, and disrupted water supply to the mining town of Gwanda after a pumping station was flooded, damaging equipment.
The floods, which struck on Sunday morning, left the Mtshabezi River Bridge impassable, leaving many stranded.