Pupils and teachers at Malikuwa Secondary and Whunga Primary schools outside Beit Bridge were left scurrying for cover after the roofs of their classroom blocks were blown off by strong winds that recently swept across the entire village.

The local ward councillor, Mrs Gladys Tlou, said the incident occurred last Friday at around 17:00 at Whunga village and surrounding areas. "This is really shocking and we are now appealing to NGOs, businesspeople and the government to chip in with the required assistance to rebuild the two schools, whose roofs were completely blown off and reduced to pieces,” she said.

The downpour, which was preceded by strong winds and a hailstorm, also left some villagers homeless after their huts were damaged extensively. When Limpopo Mirror visited the area, scattered fragments of roof sheeting could be seen strewn all over the school yard of Malikuwa Secondary, which has been affected worst in the village.

Mrs Shylin Sebata-Tlou, the principal of Malikuwa Secondary School, said three computers and two printers were damaged after they were submerged in water. “I was at the teachers’ cottage when the storm started and I rushed to the administration block. It was already raining heavily and teachers and pupils were fleeing in different directions as the roof sheets were being blown off,” she said.

Sebata-Tlou said two classroom blocks, a computer laboratory and the administration block were the most affected buildings. “Right now, pupils are attending lessons as combined classes crammed in the two remaining classrooms that were not affected. This is not a conducive environment for learning, especially with the prevailing high temperatures,” she said. The rain had also soaked several textbooks.

A local villager, Aleck Nguluvhe, said the roof of his eight-roomed house had been blown off and the window panes shattered after they had been struck by lightning.

The principal of Whunga Primary School, Mr Lovemore Dube, said: “We only have one classroom block which was affected and 48 window panes were damaged by the strong winds. Most of the textbooks, which were donated by UNICEF, were also soaked and we are appealing for assistance.”

The chairperson of the local civil protection committee, Mr Simon Muleya, said his team and various stakeholders had since visited the area to assess the situation. He said they were in the process of mobilising resources with the assistance of partners to repair the damage.

Last year, nurses and patients at the Tshikwalakwala clinic outside Beit Bridge were also left scurrying for cover when the roof sheets of the health centre were blown off by strong winds that had swept across the entire area. Scores of homes were also destroyed by the uncharacteristically heavy rains that recently pounded parts of the district.

Meanwhile, a German-based NGO handed over part of the two-roomed houses that it had pledged to construct for flood victims in Tshikwalakwala.