The Sunday Mail
Roselyne Sachiti
Assistant Editor
The wounds are still fresh, memories intense.
It has been over three years since Tropical Cyclone Idai devastated parts of Southern Africa, Zimbabwe included, and left a trail of destruction.
More than 1 000 people in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique were killed.
In Zimbabwe, Kopa, under Chief Ngorima in Chimanimani, was the worst hit.
Here, some people watched their loved ones being washed away, but could not do anything to help. The water proved mightier.
Today, villagers who lost their loved ones are anxious.
The Government recently announced the return of 31 bodies, out of the 157 that were confirmed missing when disaster struck.
Exhumation of the 31 bodies was carried out in Dombe, Espungabeira, Sussundenga and Moussorize districts in Mozambique after Harare and Maputo agreed to bring closure to families of the missing victims.
The remains are currently at Chimoio Provincial Hospital awaiting DNA tests that will be conducted at the National University of Science and Technology and the AiBBST DNA centre.
Waiting
As they await the news, the memories of what could have happened to their loved ones return. They recall how the life-changing devastating effects of the cyclone made them wish for the biblical Noah’s Ark the day disaster struck.
One of the victims, Lovemore Magodo, and his three close friends had gone to Mutare to buy goods to restock his shop when disaster struck. His wife Oppah Magodo remembers how he constantly updated her on their whereabouts on the night of his disappearance.
“He was driving and was in the company of two close friends, Daniel Beta and Tongai Manhete. The rains were extremely heavy. We did not know when this would end.
“When I checked on him, he said they had reached an area called Machongwe and would cross the next day as the river was flooded,” she says.
This was the last she heard from her husband, only to be told days later that his car was swept away by water.
Angelina Beta’s husband, Daniel Beta, who was a passenger in Magodo’s car, also disappeared on the horror night. Beta is still heartbroken and struggles to control her emotions as the interview starts. She pauses trying to control tears that have filled up her eyes.
“We were expecting them home. We thought they were safe and would cross the river the next day when water would have subsided,” she says.
She reminisces on events of the tragic night, and how it rained heavily non-stop.
Having experienced a similar heavy downpour during Cyclone Eline, they thought it was just one of those days, she adds.
Yet fate had twisted plans that could leave a community scattered and broken.
WATCH INTERVIEWS: https://youtu.be/Ypx83YYUUV0
She reveals how the following morning, various information started circulating in Kopa.
“Lots of people staying at a place called Madhumeni were missing, their houses had disappeared too. All we could see were huge rocks, where their homes used to be,” she said.
Since her husband was away, Beta never thought that, he too, would be “swallowed” by Cyclone Idai.
The first two days passed, and Beta was hopeful that he was safe. Her cellphone battery was flat as electricity lines had been cut off by the cyclone. With no way to communicate, she waited patiently, hoping to see him walk into their home safe.
“Someone who knew Magodo’s car said he had seen it buried in the ground.
“My heart skipped a beat. My husband was travelling with Magodo and I knew he was with him when we last spoke.
“I still hoped that they were alive, maybe the car was just swept away and they were safe somewhere,” she explains.
Hope
As more days passed, with her husband, Magodo and Manhete nowhere to be found, Beta finally accepted what she dreaded the most. They were gone.
Today, the news that the Government has repatriated 31 bodies from Mozambique brings some sort of hope in their quest to find closure.
“Even though we understand they are dead, we still have the feeling that maybe they will show up one day. We hope they will be found and we get closure,” she adds.
Closure, she points out, will help them pay their last respects as they will see the remains of their loved ones and rebury them home.
“In my case, this experience made me understand why people pay their last respects when someone dies. I used to think that singing, dancing and body viewing at funerals was just a ritual, but this is important.
“It gives closure to the bereaved. I pray that we will find our relatives, bury their remains and get closure,” she reveals.
Burying their relatives at home, she points out, is important.
Some small children were toddlers when their parents were swept away by Cyclone Idai and have many unanswered questions.
If the bodies are not identified, she further explains, such children will continue asking what happened to their parents, why they went missing, when they will come back home, among other issues.
She says these questions are hard to answer.
That is why the latest news of the DNA testing is important to her and hundreds others whose relatives were swept away by the water. They eagerly wait for the results.
Support systems
When disaster struck, victims got some psycho-social support from the Government and various organisations. This, she says, helped them cope with the difficult situation.
“President Mnangagwa came here to support us. Government brought in a lot of people to help us with psycho-social issues. It was a difficult time.”
It was more complicated for Beta, who is a primary school teacher. Besides dealing with the disappearance of her husband, she too, had to ensure children who lost loved ones were fine.
“Even when in the middle of a lesson, I would lose my mind the moment I started thinking of what happened. I thank God that my work colleagues were supportive.
“They would talk to me after work. Others would help by teaching my class when the going was too tough,” recalls Beta.
Children who lost parents, she recalls, were in a more complicated situation.
Understanding what they were going through, Beta became close to them.
“I was going through the same experience of losing a loved one and would talk and entertain them, knowing they were in pain.
“They saw we were going through the same experience,” she further recalls.
She hopes her husband’s body is among the 31 bodies undergoing DNA testing.
“Even if he is not found now, I will be happy if other people find their missing relatives.
“I am looking forward to the whole process. I hope they will find him.
“If he is not found, I will wait for God’s answer.”
If positively identified, their family is prepared to give her husband a decent burial, so he can rest among other relatives.
Searching and digging
Tongai’s uncle, Joseph Kuneta, said his nephew was 26 years old and single when he was also swept away by the vicious water.
He was in the same car as Magodo and Beta. The three were inseparable as they had same business interests.
Tongai’s family is battling to admit that he may never come back. They hope the DNA test results will bring closure, even if their son is not among the 31.
Days after the cyclone, Joseph says his extended family immediately went where Magodo’s car had been spotted.
“The whole family dug and dug, then dug until we reached the car. The windows were shattered and the doors locked.
“Inside were two bags. In one of the bags was Magodo’s cellphone and national identity card waiting pass. We also saw one shoe belonging to Tongai and were convinced this was Magodo’s car,” he says.
Joseph adds what baffles them is that Magodo’s cellphone was not damaged and is even currently working, yet three grown men were taken by the angry waters.
“A cellphone technician just told Magodo’s wife to remove the battery for some time to allow the phone to dry naturally. When she switched on the phone, she saw a video of what could have been the last moments of the three men. They looked relaxed as they were seated in the car while Magodo filmed what was also happening outside,” Joseph adds.
He also recalls what could be a last phone call made by Tongai to his aunt (Joseph’s wife).
“He said they were safe and we should not worry. He said they were sleeping and he would call the next morning to update us. That was his last conversation with us.”
Search teams and sniffer dogs that came also did not find the remains of the missing people.
Clues
He says for the first six months after the disaster, no one in Tongai’s family could work, all they thought of was where to find his remains and how to do it. They would immediately react to any clue they got. Tongai’s family often panicked whenever they heard footsteps outside, hoping he would just show up. Yet months and years have passed and Tongai has not showed up.
“We consulted other people who would say they could not do much as the souls of those swept away were still attached to their remains.
“They said they had to decompose first for them to separate and be found. We have not found anything yet and hope the DNA results will help identify those who disappeared,” Tongai’s mother, Margaret Chanaiwa, said.
Dead ends
When Tongai disappeared, the family tried all available options, including religious and traditional methods, in a bid to find him.
They were all dead ends. DNA tests may reveal what they have been waiting for all these years.
“We got tired. My other children would say they spoke to Tongai in their dreams. They would say ‘dad said he is here or that place’. I would immediately go and dig, sometimes alone, hoping to recover his remains, but found nothing,” Tongai’s stepfather Mwapuwa Kuneta reveals.
Superstition
The family is highly superstitious, they feel the lost souls are still lurking in nearby rivers, ready to take the next victims.
They are scared that they will be dragged into the water and believe cleansing should be done in the whole area. However, they feel the traditional leadership has not been receptive to the idea because of Christianity.
“They say cleansing is demonic, yet before the disaster, warning signs were there and people could have been saved. A lion came to Madhomeni (the most affected area in Kopa), then proceeded to Chidzirondo. The same lion also went to Nyahode and ate a goat. The lion returned and ate a second goat. This was a clear warning which was ignored,” Mwapuwa argued.
As the families await the DNA test results, they pray that their relatives will be found and they get closure.
Also read: https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/dna-identification-of-cyclone-idai-victims-starts
