GMB stalls Byo food aid

Nqobile Tshili Chronicle Correspondent
THE Government has availed 1,567 tonnes of maize for nearly 3,000 vulnerable Bulawayo households but distribution has been stalled as the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) does not have the required packaging bags.

Bulawayo provincial social welfare officer Mr Chriswell Nyakudya told The Chronicle yesterday that the Government approved the distribution of food aid in Bulawayo and Harare after realising that many people were struggling to put a meal on the table due to the drought and economic challenges.

“We’ve been instructed to run drought relief programmes in Bulawayo. Drought relief traditionally has been running in eight rural provinces. But now the Government has approved that we include Harare and Bulawayo. It has been realised that a lot of people are hungry because of unemployment and the drought has affected urban areas,” he said.

Mr Nyakudya said the programme will run in two categories – the harmonised cash transfer and the public assistance category.

He said the public assistance category consists of the elderly and destitute among other vulnerable people.

“For the harmonised cash transfer we’re going to give food to 2,756 households. Under the public assistance budget we’re going to give grain to 237 households. The total will be 2,993 households,” said Mr Nyakudya.

He said food distribution should have started last month, running to March next year.

“In other words the Bulawayo provincial drought relief steering committee is ready as we speak but the only stumbling block is empty bags. It is the responsibility of the GMB nationally to provide the bags. But they told us today in the meeting that they don’t have them,” he said.

He said the beneficiaries will be drawn from the city’s 12 wards.

Mr Nyakudya said those in the harmonised cash transfer were selected after the Government had stopped offering them money under the national action plan in March.