Chronicle Editor
Thandeka Moyo/Andile Tshuma, Chronicle Reporters
A DEADLY combination of hunger, drought and water scarcity is plaguing rural communities in Matabeleland North and South provinces with chiefs saying the situation is dire in some areas.
In many districts, food is scarce and villagers have lost hundreds of cattle while women and children are forced to walk long distances in search of water.
Chief Dakamela of Nkayi said people are in a desperate situation due to food shortages.
“Most people have not accessed any food aid and it will not be surprising to hear that people have died of hunger,” said Chief Dakamela.
“My people are not benefitting from the food programme and I am not sure what really needs to be done. To make matters worse all our water sources have run dry and we have a handful of boreholes which are distant from the villagers.”
He said only 20 percent of the villagers could afford to buy stock feed to help save their livestock.
Chief Siansali of Binga said his community has little food, boreholes have dried up and the few remaining ones are on the verge of drying up.
He said most people had run out of food stocks from last year’s harvest and were relying on food aid from Government and Non-Governmental Organisations.
“Three meals a day is now something unheard of. Sometimes you may have the maize, but no water to cook with. We receive aid, but it is hardly enough in most instances. Boreholes are drying up and schools are finding it difficult to function. For instance, I have a very big secondary school in my area, Kariangwe Secondary with over 700 pupils,” Chief Siansali said.
“The borehole servicing the school has dried up and the other closest one is also drying up. It is a problem for both teachers’ and pupils. We have a water purification plant in the area which runs on diesel but has since been abandoned by ZINWA. We also have no electricity after vandalism of infrastructure at Kamativi. Some areas were fixed but there is still 30km that still needs repair for power to be restored in my area.
If ZESA could act, we would have options on pumping water as some people have electric boreholes and could help others.”
In Matabeleland South, Chief Mathema of Gwanda said people were receiving food assistance but it was not enough.
He said they are also facing water challenges such that even clinics are being run with no water.
“Everyone is food insecure,” he said.
Chief Maduna of Insiza district was not reachable but his wife Mrs Vezi Maduna said they were receiving grain and had nothing else to eat.
She said the water situation was dire as children were being turned away from schools as there is no water.
Mrs Maduna said some pupils are now required to carry gallons of water to school for drinking and to help in the school’s general water needs.
“The only food available nowadays is the grain that we get from the Government but we have no relish so most of the times we just cook plain porridge and eat it,” she said.
Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs Minister Cde Richard Moyo said Government had considered the situation of some villagers not getting food aid and with effect from this month, everyone would benefit under the food for work programme. He said the initial food work programme was exclusive as it only targeted vulnerable households, which included child-headed families and those headed by the elderly.
“Government has assured us that with effect from this month end, everyone will benefit from the food aid programme that is why it has been introduced. Prior to this, food aid was only for the vulnerable households, however this drought that is prevailing has prompted Government to open up the programme to everyone,” Cde Moyo said.
Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs Minister Abedinico Ncube was not immediately available for comment.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has previously assured the nation that no one will die of hunger.
“I urge all our community leaders and Members of Parliament to avail information about those communities in critical need of assistance,” he said. — @thamamoe/@andile_tshuma
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