A mentally-challenged man allegedly set several homes on fire in Mpofu Village, Lupane in Matabeleland North Province leaving the owners of the torched homes stranded.
Among the four victims of the nocturnal arson attack were an 80-year-old granny and a 69-year-old woman identified as Concilia Moyo.
Moyo told The Sunday News that she returned to Lupane from Chinhoyi three years ago following the death of her husband. She said:
It was just after 9 PM when we had retired to bed that I heard something burning my leg and as I woke up I saw the house engulfed in white smoke. I woke my sister up and told her the hut was on fire.
I then rushed to open the door while my sister took a six-year-old child who was sleeping with us.
The fire then engulfed the whole house and we couldn’t even grab a single thing.
We lost everything, two double beds, two wardrobes, as well as food. I work at the Bubi-Lupane Irrigation Scheme so I had been given my food allocation that included 8 x 50 kilogrammes of maize, 2 x 50 kilogrammes of wheat as well as everything we used at home.
These include kitchen utensils. I had just bought two door frames and window frames from the proceeds of the Bubi-Lupane Irrigation Scheme.
I had also placed an order for bricks and the US$150 which was reserved for the payment got burnt inside.
Thembinkosi Nyathi (19) and Nigel Mpofu were the heroes of the night after they broke a door and dragged Gogo MaPhiri (80) from the burning house.
Meanwhile, Moyo said the villagers are in need of shelter as the rainy season is fast approaching and they do not have roofs over their heads.