Vaya launches Covid-19 relief support arm

Business Reporter
CASSAVA Smartech’s subsidiary, Vaya Logistics has started offering relief support to organisations involved in distributing material aid to vulnerable groups and communities affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The global pandemic has seen governments across the world, including Zimbabwe, enforcing lockdowns intended to arrest the spread of the highly infectious disease. The lockdowns have, however, resulted in unintended consequence of food shortages and the threat of hunger among vulnerable communities especially those families whose income is from the informal sector.

The company’s senior executive, Mr Lovemore Nyatsine, who is also in charge of Vaya Relief Support, said they were ready to help any organization in mobilising relief food and materials for the affected people.

“We will be providing transport and logistical support to any organisation or civic group that wants to reach out to the community at this time that our nation is battling the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Mr Nyatsine.

He said during Cyclone Idai, the company set up a logistics warehouse at Silverstream in Chimanimani and deployed Vaya trucks to distribute relief food and water to cyclone victims.

He said Vaya Relief Support has already been providing logistics support to move relief food and clean water to vulnerable communities, working in collaboration with Higherlife Foundation, Gift of Givers and Business Against Covid-19, among others.

Vaya, which operates passenger transport (mobility) and logistics services, is one of the few key service providers that Government designated an ‘essential service provider’ during the lockdown .

Its partners and vehicle fleet are authorised to move freely providing last-mile delivery of passengers and goods to the citizens.

Mr Nyatsine said Vaya Relief Support was there to ease the headache of logistics and distribution from the donor community. “The donor is left to focus on mobilising resources while Vaya Relief services carry out the distribution,” Mr Nyatsine said.