Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent 

A GWANDA farmer lost 10 head of cattle and two goats after they were struck by lightning.

Ward 9 councillor Mozitha Moyo confirmed the incident which occurred in his area on Friday afternoon. He said Mr Jeconia Nyathi from Lushongwe Village was left with a herd of 26 cattle after disaster struck.

“There is a farmer from my ward, Mr Jeconia Nyathi who lost 10 head of cattle and two goats after they were struck by lightning. Mr Nyathi had just finished giving his animals stock feed just outside his homestead. As he turned to leave just as it was about to rain, lightning struck and killed his animals as he looked on in disbelief.

“This is a terrible incident because for farmers and villagers in the area livestock is the main source of wealth and for one to lose 10 head of cattle and two goats at once is a huge loss. To make matters worse, Mr Nyathi had recently sold five head of cattle from his herd and used the money to buy stock feed as he was concerned about the state of his animals and wanted to ensure they remained in good condition,” he said.

Matabeleland South province has been experiencing heavy rains which have been accompanied by violent winds, lightning and thunder leaving a trail of destruction.

Presenting a report during a Matabeleland South Provincial Drought Relief Committee meeting recently Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education representative, Mr Zwelani Dube said about 35 schools in the province have been affected after infrastructure was damaged by rains which have been experienced in the area since the onset of the rainy season.

He said most affected schools had classroom roofs blown off. Mr Dube said 30 secondary schools and five primary schools had been affected. 

In the Gwanda CBD recently several houses, business premises, bill boards and sign posts were destroyed by a hailstorm which was accompanied by strong winds.

The Meteorological Services Department has predicted more destructive rain accompanied by strong winds likely to uproot trees and damage buildings this week. -@DubeMatutu