Harare – The Senate Thematic Committee on Peace and Security is planning to visit families displaced by flooding in Tokwe Mukosi area of Masvingo to assess the extent of damages, an official said on Thursday.
Committee chairperson Senator Damian Mumvuri told journalists that floods were a threat to the peace and security of citizens hence the need for the visit.
Villagers living along the Tokwe-Mukosi basin had to be evacuated after water escaping from cracks in the dam wall, flooded the river that flows directly towards the villages.
This forced the Government to declare the area a state of disaster, fearing the dam wall would burst and sweep away thousands of people in its path.
Over 2 514 people have been affected by the Tokwe-Mukosi floods.
At least 781 of the families have been relocated while the remainder have been moved to higher ground and are temporarily sheltered at Chingwizi Holding Camp.
Mumvuri said the committee would also visit the Chingwizi holding camp to see how the affected families are living.
He said failure by officials from the Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban development and National Housing to appear before the committee would not deter the visit.
“If they (ministry officials) do not come by the 21st March then we will go ahead with our visit to Tokwe -Mukosi and Chingwizi to find facts with or without their oral evidence.
“We are a committee of peace and security so we cannot sit around yet people are suffering,” he said.
The officials from the ministry have failed to appear before the thematic committee for some time though on Thursday they had communicated that the permanent secretary was on leave.
Senator Mumvuri had earlier said he would move a contempt of Parliament motion on Ministry officials whom he said were not taking the committee seriously.
New Ziana