279 missing Cyclone Idai victims should be declared dead- AG

The Attorney General Virginia Mabhiza has instituted a class action in the High Court of Mutare seeking an order to have 279 victims of Cyclone Idai who have been verified missing by the police to be declared dead.

This move will enable the Registrar of Deaths and Births to legally issue death certificates and any other relevant documentation to the next of kin of the missing persons.

Typical challenges facing the families of the missing victims include but not limited to; failure to obtain birth certificates for their children, failure to access pensions and other benefits of their missing relatives.

It also include failure by the Civil Service Commission to fill vacant positions left by the missing persons.

On March 14 and 15, Cyclone Idai tore through Southern Africa, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.

Winds of nearly 175 km per hour, widespread flooding and landslides destroyed roads, bridges, farmlands, crops, houses, and other infrastructures, some of them beyond repair.

In the worst-affected areas of Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi, some survivors lost everything, their lives devastated by the cyclone.

They were left in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance.

Zwnews