MASVINGO — A lightning strike in the heart of Masvingo City at midday on Wednesday left residents talking.
The lightning struck the top corner of a building complex along Simon Muzenda Street, dislodging bricks, and one fell and hit a City Council wheel clamp below.
According to witnesses, a council traffic marshal had just clamped a car parked in front of the complex when the lightning bolt struck. Two bricks were dislodged from the building’s upper corner, with one striking the wheel clamp directly.
The incident has sparked widespread speculation among residents, with many debating whether it was merely a natural occurrence or something more mysterious.
The car owner, who quickly departed after the incident, has become something of a local legend. Several residents have jokingly expressed interest in obtaining his contact details for “future reference,” suggesting the lightning may have been providential timing.
Some onlookers thought that the bolt had hit something, but no one imagined that it would be a clamp. Some had thought it would be a tree.
This is not the first time the city has been left buzzing. A few years ago, a local magistrate threw all legal etiquette out of the window when she bolted from a courtroom during a hearing to seek cover from a lightning strike.
People in the city were confused; many fled in search of shelter, while others feared it might strike again. However, all these past events pale in comparison to the incident of the traffic clamp being struck.
