admin
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent
SOME elderly people in Gwanda rural are forced to give away maize they are supposed to be getting under the drought relief programme as they are failing to raise transport money required to ferry the grain.
Beneficiaries under the programme are expected to contribute money to hire transporters to ferry the maize from the Grain Marketing Board depots to their ward centres for collection.
In an interview, a village head from Ngoma B village, Mr Dumisani Dube said some elderly people from his area were failing to raise $30 which was required to pay transporters. As a result they were giving away their maize to able bodied people who could pay the money.
Under the drought relief programme elderly people above 60 years, orphaned children, people living with disabilities and the chronically ill are supposed to get a 50kg bag of maize for free.
“We have a challenge of elderly people who are failing to raise money that is required to collect maize from the GMB depot in Gwanda Town which is about 150 kilometres from our area to our ward centre. Each individual who is supposed to get maize is expected to pay $30 which is given to transporters that are hired to ferry the grain.
“The elderly people who cannot raise the money end up giving their allocation to people that can pay the transport money. This is a disturbing thing because the elderly that will be in desperate need of this maize end up losing it. Transport is now expensive and it’s beyond the reach of many but nothing can be done as it is a requirement. It would really assist if Government intervened when it came to these elderly people,” he said.
Addressing villagers from Ngoma B Village in Ward 20 Matabeleland South provincial social welfare officer, Mr Criswell Nyakudya called on community leaders with the assistance from community members to identify elderly people that were failing to raise transport money and submit their names to the social welfare office.
He said Government had engaged DDF and the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) to secure trucks that could transport maize from GMB depots to collection points. Mr Nyakudya said according to drought relief manual of operations people were not supposed to walk more than five kilometres to collect their maize.
“It has come to our attention that there are some elderly people who are failing to raise money to transport maize and as a result they are giving their allocation to people who can afford. This isn’t supposed to be happening as the drought relief programme is meant to target those particular people. If you know of such people please don’t just sit back and take advantage of their situation but please report such cases to my office and we will see how best to assist them,” he said. — @DubeMatutu
Online Reporter