By Moses Magadza, recently in Botswana

Mosweu – Residents of Mosweu Village in Botswana’s Tswapong District have called for urgent restoration of access to health and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services after flash floods cut off the community for weeks, damaged homes and destroyed livelihoods, although no human life was lost.

The calls were made during a community gathering convened by village leadership, including the Chief and Village Development Committee, where women outnumbered men and took a leading role in articulating community concerns. Only three of the 11 recorded interventions came from men.

The appeals were voiced during an outreach mission conducted by the Parliament of Botswana with technical support from the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) and financial support from Sweden under the SRHR, HIV and AIDS Governance Project.

The initiative seeks to strengthen parliamentary oversight and community resilience in the face of climate-related emergencies.

Mosweu Village, under Tswapong North Constituency in Palapye District Council, was the final stop in a series of visits to flood-affected communities on 1 April.

The mission aimed to document lived experiences, identify service gaps and ensure that responses, particularly in health and SRHR, are responsive to the needs of vulnerable populations, including women, children and young people.

Community leaders said the floods isolated Mosweu after all three access roads into and out of the village were damaged and closed for between two and three weeks.

Kgosi Koketso Thipe, who led the community briefing at the kgotla, said the closure of roads had far-reaching consequences, particularly for access to health services.

At the height of the disaster, residents struggled to reach clinics and hospitals due to impassable roads and a lack of transport. Five villages, he explained, were forced to rely on a single vehicle.

Health officials reported that the floods disrupted routine outreach services to Mosweu and neighbouring Mokokwane, which are jointly served by a single health post between the two villages and a shared primary school. A doctor missed at least three scheduled outreach visits due to inaccessible roads.

As a result, eight women who were due to receive their contraceptive injections were unable to access services on time and were only reached weeks later, increasing the risk of unplanned pregnancies.

Access to maternal health services was also affected. The local clinic did not have a resident midwife, and pregnant women normally travelled to Seolwane Clinic for antenatal and postnatal care. During the floods, road closures made such referrals difficult.

Distribution of condoms was disrupted as public collection points became inaccessible. However, continuity of HIV treatment was maintained. Although the pharmacist responsible for dispensing medication could not travel to conduct outreach visits, a nurse prescriber stepped in to ensure uninterrupted service delivery.

The clinic maintained sufficient stock for approximately three months, enabling residents within Mosweu to access their prescriptions without interruption.

Beyond healthcare, the floods severely disrupted daily life across the village.

In some cases, families were unable to transport deceased relatives to mortuaries or burial sites because vehicles could not reach their homes. Access to emergency medical care became particularly difficult at night when roads were impassable.

The village chief reported that 18 huts collapsed, while 11 homesteads located at the foot of a nearby mountain were completely cut off by floodwaters.

Water continued to seep from the ground in several areas, with five houses experiencing water emerging through floors, creating unsanitary conditions and increasing the risk of disease. Eight pit latrines were flooded, while small vehicles could no longer move safely in many parts of the settlement.

Women spoke about the dangers they faced in seeking medical attention during the disaster.

One female villager said residents who fell ill after dark were sometimes referred to facilities in neighbouring villages, journeys that became nearly impossible when roads were flooded.

With transport severely limited, she explained, access to essential health services became unreliable when communities were most vulnerable.

Residents also raised concerns about environmental risks that could worsen health outcomes.

One woman called on geological experts to conduct a thorough assessment of the village after wide cracks appeared in parts of the settlement following the floods, warning that such conditions could threaten the safety and well-being of families living in affected areas.

Parents described how the floods disrupted education and family routines. One mother said her children missed school for two weeks because it was too dangerous to cross flooded rivers and damaged roads.

Movement within the village became hazardous, she explained, with water covering roads and pathways, while school grounds were also affected, delaying the resumption of normal learning activities.

Another young resident from an area separated by floodwaters described living conditions as unbearable and said water flowing from surrounding hills and seeping from the ground had severely limited movement and daily activities.

Farmers reported widespread agricultural losses threatening household food security. One woman said floods destroyed crops she had planted on four hectares of land, wiping out months of labour and investment.

Another farmer, who serves as deputy chairperson of the local farmers’ association, described how strong winds and hailstones flattened crops and destroyed six bags of harvested sorghum stored at her home.

With fields still waterlogged and roads severely damaged, many farmers were unable to return to their fields, raising fears of future food shortages if recovery efforts are delayed.

Several residents recounted experiences as floodwaters entered their homes.

One woman said her children alerted her on 15 March that water was seeping through the floor. Despite repeated attempts to drain the water, the flooding worsened, forcing the family to punch a hole in the wall to let it drain.

Weeks later, water remained inside the house, leaving algae and mosquitoes and making the environment unsafe. She said she had been unable to travel to her fields because her family’s vehicle could not leave the homestead due to flooded ground and damaged roads.

Another mother described waking in the middle of the night to find water rushing into her bedroom while her children slept nearby. She quickly gathered them and moved them to safety, but managed to save only a few belongings before the water swept through the house.

While villagers expressed gratitude for the outreach visit, some also voiced frustration over repeated assessments without visible solutions.

One male resident said the community needed practical support to repair roads and restore mobility, stressing that villagers were facing a problem “that does not need pictures” but equipment to clean and fix roads.

Local councillor Honourable Bame Madimabe acknowledged the scale of destruction caused by the floods and encouraged residents to speak openly when leaders visit their communities.

He clarified that government assistance currently focuses on humanitarian support such as food, shelter, clothing and blankets, rather than compensation for damaged farms or property.

He also expressed hope that issues raised, including possible relocation of plots in flood-prone areas, would be addressed through collaboration between authorities and community members.

Following the community meeting, the delegation conducted house visits to observe conditions on the ground, including areas where cattle had sunk into waterlogged soil and had to be pulled out due to the depth of the mud.

Despite the scale of destruction, community leaders confirmed that no human life was lost during the floods, a development widely attributed to community vigilance and timely response.

However, residents warned that recovery will require sustained support, improved infrastructure and strengthened access to essential services, particularly healthcare and SRHR services, to ensure communities are better prepared for future climate-related disasters.

The Mosweu villagers called for rebuilding roads, restoring access to health facilities and strengthening community resilience.

-Moses Magadza is the Media and Communications Manager at the SADC Parliamentary Forum.