Zimbabwe President Emerson Mnangagwa on Friday asked Southern African Development Community (Sadc) member countries to find strategies for mitigating the effects of climate change.

He said this at Kapeni Demonstration Primary School Ground in Blantyre where, accompanied by President Lazarus Chakwera, he went to cheer Cyclone Freddy survivors as well as appreciate the extent of the damage.

Mnangagwa (L) and Chakwera

He said one of the strategies is removing residents that are in disaster-prone areas where damage is enormous when there are floods.

Mnangagwa said: “So, we believe that it is necessary for our people to understand that when the government says we want to remove you it is not that they are cruel, it is because they love you.

“You should accept and be moved to safe areas. But as a region, we must develop strategies to assist each other to mitigate the suffering of our citizens.”

He described the effects of Cyclone Freddy as disturbing, adding that Zimbabwe is saddened by such will remain a true brother to Malawi to help in such scenarios.

The Zimbabwean President said that this is why in the aftermath of the cylone, he embarked on a cyclone response mobilisation programme in his country and send some forms of assistance to Malawi.

While praising recovery efforts undertaken so far, Mnangagwa said the Zimbabwean Government will continue rendering its support in construction efforts undertaken by the Malawi Government.

“Zimbabwe will remain a true and dependent friend of Malawi. We are, therefore, your brothers and sisters forever. We are brothers and sisters in times of disaster, in times of plenty, in times of hunger, in times of summer, in times of winter, we will stay together,” he said.

In his address, Chakwera said the country is getting better prepared to mitigate the effects of climate change.

He also stressed that the country is not out of the woods yet; hence, Malawi still remains in a state of disaster.

Chakwera said: “Truly when we declared a state of disaster which is still in force because we haven’t quite come out of the woods yet, this has been a nation in mourning because the devastation has never been seen on this scale before.

“But knowing that climate change shocks continue, we had to look at various aspects including issues to do with legislation, and Parliament last month passed new legislation to help us prepare better.”

In such regard, Chakwera said he will assent to all Bills as regards climate change preparation once he returns to office.

He further hailed Zimbabwe as a country for showing generosity to Malawians during the disaster.

At Kapeni, Mnangagwa symbolically handed over relief items to Chakwera. Thereafter, the two Presidents went to Conforzi Tea Plantations in Thyolo and later addressed the press at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre.

Cyclone Freddy made a landfall in southern Malawi on March 12 and triggered mudslides, floods and heavy rainfall which destroyed various infrastructure and killed 676 people as well as injured 2 171 others.

While 537 people are still considered missing, the cyclone also displaced 659 278 people.

The post Mnangagwa urges Sadc to strategise on climate change first appeared on The Nation Online.