Online Reporter
Bulawayo Bureau
ZIMBABWE is currently grappling with a severe heatwave, with temperatures soaring to record highs across the country.
The worst affected locations include Beitbridge, Lupane, Gwanda, and Chiredzi where temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius have been recorded.
The scorching heat has taken a toll on both humans and animals. Residents are resorting to various strategies to cope, including frequent dips in dams, excessive water consumption, and seeking shade under trees.
Farmers are facing significant challenges, as their crops are struggling to survive the intense heat and prolonged dry spells.
In the blistering heat of a Friday afternoon in Lupane, with temperatures soaring to around 39 degrees Celsius, Sibangani Ncube has only one thought – to dive headfirst into the Bubi/Lupane Dam to cool off. Having spent all of his 44 years in Ward 17, Ncube is no stranger to high temperatures in Lupane.
However, the past week has felt as if the sun itself has descended closer to the surface of Sibanye Village, intent on ‘roasting’ its inhabitants alive.
Ncube is not alone in seeking temporary reprieve from the scorching rays of the sun by dipping into the large dam and cooling off.
His livestock – three donkeys and a herd of six cattle – are also victims of a heatwave that is sweeping across Matabeleland North Province as temperatures soar near the 40-degree Celsius mark.
He has brought along his livestock to sip while he dips in the Bubi/Lupane Dam.
“Lupane is generally hot at this time of the year as we anticipate the rains, but these temperatures that we are witnessing are just abnormal.
“I brought my livestock to drink water in the dam and I’ll also use this opportunity to take a swim and cool off,” Ncube said yesterday.
The Bubi/Lupane Dam is known to have crocodiles, but that will not stop Ncube and his 12-year-old nephew Ntabiso Ncube from escaping the searing heat with a long swim in the afternoon, at the peak of the high temperatures.
“The heat is affecting both people and animals, and we are lucky to have a dam nearby for our donkeys and cattle to drink water from and not die of dehydration,” he said.
In Daluka Village, just behind St Luke’s Hospital in Lupane, Anele Ndlovu and his teenage friends are not fortunate enough to live near a dam. To escape the heatwave, they utilise a borehole in the village to quench their thirst.
The boys have brought along a metal dish that they constantly replenish with water for their cattle and livestock.
“The 14 cattle and two donkeys drink about 20 buckets of water, then we let them graze for the rest of the day,” said Anele.
He says the livestock roam the plains of Daluka Village grazing in the morning and make their way to the borehole to drink water – a daily routine that the livestock have mastered.
As another means of escaping the high temperatures, animals can be seen lying or standing under tree shades.
Today and tomorrow, temperatures in Lupane will breach the 40-degree Celsius mark, and it is expected to get a bit cooler from Monday as temperatures drop to 37 degrees Celsius.
Gwanda will be at its hottest today and tomorrow at 43 degrees Celsius and 41 degrees Celsius.
The high temperatures in the area have seen residents turn to various strategies to cool themselves such as consuming cool beverages and flocking to swimming pools. Another strategy the residents seem to have adopted is staying indoors. By midday yesterday, the temperatures had soared to 39 degrees in the mining town.
“These temperatures are very high and unbearable.
“I now make it a point to buy a slush beverage daily from Creamy Inn as it helps me cool down.
“The ice found in the beverage helps me a lot. Whenever possible, I just stay at home to avoid the heat.
“My children also play indoors,” said Lynette Moyo, who stays in Gwanda.
Another resident, Patrick Ncube, said he cannot keep track of the amount of water he drinks in a day because of the heat. He ensures that he has countless bottles of water in his refrigerator.
The high temperatures experienced in the town over the past week have not spared animals either, which are now scavenging for water in people’s homes. Problematic baboons and monkeys that have always been a menace to residents open taps to access drinking water.
Where there is water stored within their reach, they take advantage to quench their thirst.
While temperatures are generally high in Victoria Falls, yesterday was different as the heat suddenly became unbearable. People could be seen carrying water bottles as they went about their business.
A tourist from Australia said he had to put on a piece of cloth over his head to protect himself from the heat as he visited the Victoria Falls Bridge. A group of youths was also seen carrying water bottles as they toured the bridge.
In the Midlands Province, there has been unprecedented demand for watermelons, with residents and visitors buying the fruit to cool off from the heatwave.
Along Kwekwe-Gweru Road, Mvuma-Chivhu Road, and Mvuma-Gweru Road, vendors are now selling more watermelons than any other fruit in the past week.
Watermelons contain 92 percent water and are a great way to stay hydrated, which is important for the proper functioning of cells, blood, muscles, tissues, and brain.
Tinashe Chikwata from Mkoba Village 6 said it’s easier to consume watermelon than continuously drinking water.
“There has been a watermelon craze since we started having the heatwave. Many realise that eating watermelon is also beneficial to the body besides quenching thirst,” he said.
A vendor, Rachel Takawira, said there has been a sharp demand for watermelons in the past week.
“We have been selling many watermelons in the past week, and the customers are attributing this to the heatwave,” she said.
The Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Dr Sleiman Timios Kwidini, said staying hydrated by drinking lots of liquids such as water is one of the most effective ways of beating the heatwave.
“We advise people to drink at least two litres of water per day to stay hydrated during the heatwave.
“Eating fruits such as oranges, apples, and watermelons is also recommended,” said Dr Kwidini.
He said people must avoid drinking alcohol excessively in high temperatures.
In the Chiredzi and Gonarezhou National Park areas, the Meteorological Services Department predicted the temperatures to be at a high 44 degrees Celsius today and 42 degrees Celsius tomorrow.
This morning, it will be mostly cloudy, mild, and windy conditions are expected in Manicaland, Masvingo, southern parts of Midlands, and Matabeleland South Provinces.
Partly cloudy and hot conditions are expected across the country with a chance of isolated thunderstorms in areas such as Bulawayo, northern parts of Midlands, Harare, north of Manicaland, and all Mashonaland Provinces in the afternoon.
“When thunder roars, it is best to be indoors.
“Secure rooftops, especially in schools, as the rains may be accompanied by strong winds and hail in some areas,” warned the MSD.
