Acting President Dr Kembo Mohadi this morning presided over a high-level resource mobilisation ceremony in Harare as Zimbabwe moves to assist Mozambique following devastating floods that have swept across several provinces in the neighbouring country.
The initiative follows an urgent appeal for support from Maputo after the floods displaced thousands of families, destroyed critical infrastructure and disrupted access to essential services in the provinces of Gaza, Maputo, Maputo Metropolitan and Nampula.
In a statement, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Petronella Nyagura, said preliminary assessments by Mozambican disaster authorities indicate that several lives have been lost, with more than 200 000 families and vast hectares of crops affected.
The mobilisation exercise, coordinated through ZimAID, is drawing participation from local donors and various stakeholders who are expected to make pledges towards humanitarian assistance.
Mozambican Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mr Carvalho Muaria, is also attending the ceremony as Harare reinforces its commitment to regional solidarity and the continent’s collective disaster-response mechanisms.
Zimbabwe has already been actively responding to flooding disasters across the region. Recently, Government dispatched 1,000 tonnes of maize, blankets, tents, and essential relief items, to assist displaced families in Malawi.
In Mozambique, ZimAID has deployed two fully equipped air rescue helicopters to support search and rescue operations, evacuate stranded people, and provide emergency medical aid in areas cut off by floodwaters.
Beyond material and logistical support, Zimbabwe has also engaged at a high political level. President Emmerson Mnangagwa temporarily broke his annual leave to personally oversee regional disaster response efforts, ensuring coordination and timely deployment of aid.
