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Vendors, Touts Mass Onto Site The influx of scores of touts and food vendors at the collapsed Nkankezi Bridge in Filabusi, Matebeleland South, has created a health time bomb and stoked other serious social problems, the local MP said recently. Nkankezi bridge links the Masvingo-Mbalabala, Gwanda and Zvishavane highway. Part of it was swept away by heavy rains last week, making the crossing effectively impassable for both public and private transport. NewZimbabwe. com visited the damaged bridge and witnessed buses and private taxis parked on both sides of the crossing.
Travellers had to get off buses at one end and use a makeshift nearby ramp to get to those forced to terminate on the other side.
Enter scores of touts who found brisk business helping move passengers and goods from places such as Mutare, Masvingo and Zvishavane along with those from Bulawayo, Gwanda and Beitbridge buses.
Dozens of travellers from both sides of the crossing could be seen crossing the river through a disused nearby causeway bridge while some enterprising vendors were busy selling trading wares at the site.
Some vendors were also cooking Sadza while some were selling opaque beer within the vicinity of the bridge.
“ This unexpected influx of people at this place has created a lot of health challenges. As you can see, there are no toilets and people are using the bush to relieve themselves.
“ There is also no clean water and people are using river water to cook and drink,” said Andrew Langa, the MP for the area recently. The legislator said his office would soon engage the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare over the increasing health hazards at the site.
“ Considering that the bridge might take up to three or four months before completion, we are suggesting that relevant government departments should put temporary sanitation facilities at the site such as toilets and clean water,” said the former Sports and Culture minister.
Langa said the bridge would be rebuilt from a $ 30 million facility which he said government availed for the humanitarian crisis induced by the recent heavy rains.
When the media crew arrived at the scene, workers from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development were busy carrying out excavation works at the disused causeway to facilitate the movement of light vehicles only.
Heavy rains that have been pounding the country since last December last left a trail of destruction, killing scores of people and damaging homes, bridges, crops, livestock, roads, dams and other key infrastructure. The cash-strapped government has since appealed for about US $ 100m to support the emergency relief programmes to help those displaced by the floods. Authorities said villages in the southern part of the country were the worst affected with roads and bridges being destroyed.
The latest estimates put the death toll at nearly 250, while thousands have been left homeless after above-average rainfall hit the country since December
Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • March- April 2017 7