Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister Richard Moyo has hinted that some marginalised areas in the province may end up paying for transport ferrying their drought relief grain due to challenges associated with such a service.
Moyo made the remarks on Thursday this week at Mhlahlandlela Government Offices in Bulawayo during the drought relief Press conference.
He said such plans were bound to happen in areas where there will not be any well-wishers to transport the food.
“There may be such plans in some areas where there won’t be well-wishers to cover the transportation, people will need to collaborate and get transport to their designated areas,” Moyo said.
About 9 million Zimbabweans are in need of food aid due to the El Niño-induced drought. President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared the drought a state of disaster to mobilise US$3,3 billion from aid agencies and cooperating partners to avert hunger.
Moyo said this would be at a point when the authorities delay in distributing to people, therefore, beneficiaries cannot continue starving, but come together and get their food.
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Moyo’s remarks that villagers should pay for transport costs contradicts an early statement by the government.
In a notice dated May 7, 2024, addressed to all provincial directors of Local Government services titled, Grain Transportation for Food Insecure Households, signed by a K Ncube on behalf of Local Government and Public Works secretary, the government said food transportation costs were paid for before delivery.
“Please be advised that transportation of grain from the Grain Marketing Board depots to the various food distribution points close to the wards will be paid for by the government and also the cost of bringing food aid to the food insecure household will be met by the government. Accordingly, no beneficiaries should be asked to pay for this service,” the circular read.
Moyo said some families that can sustain themselves will be given food aid after the most vulnerable would have gotten a share.
“There are some families that can sustain themselves, then some that are more vulnerable, like the aged. We were then selecting and prioritising on those.
“But if everyone gets their share, they then have to liaise with their chiefs and can be given to those who would have been left out from the list,” Moyo said.
The provincial minister said households would get the quantity of food equivalent to the number of people residing in it, with each person getting 7,5kgs for a month adding that people will get the aid for three months.
“Our chiefs have been given tonnes depending on how many wards they are heading to cater for orphans or widows that may have not been on the social welfare list,” he said.
Meanwhile, a traditional leader from Lupane has appealed to well-wishers and other stakeholders for transport to ferry food aid from the district’s Grain Marketing Board to feed his hungry subjects reeling from the effects of the El Niño-induced drought.