MATABELELAND South province has been ranked top in households that were receiving remittances or gifts from outside the country with  most of its youth having migrated to the neighbouring South Africa and Botswana in search of work.

This was revealed in the 2024 Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee Rural Livelihoods Assessment report on households which received remittances or gifts.

The report said remittances of gifts received by households were mainly from within the country marking about 20,5%.

“The Midlands (24,7%) had the highest proportion of households that had received remittances/gifts from within the country,” reads the report.

In households that received local remittances or gifts, Midlands is followed by Masvingo with 24,1%, Mashonaland East (23,9%), Matabeleland South (21,5%) and the least is Mashonaland Central with 13,7%.

“Matabeleland South (29,6%) had the highest proportion of households that had received remittances/gifts from outside the country,” the report said.

The second in households that received remittances or gifts from outside the country is Matabeleland North at 15,2%, Midlands (12,6%), Masvingo (12,3%), Manicaland (5%) and Mashonaland Central the lowest at 1,9%.

On households participating in internal savings and lending schemes (mukando/ukuqogelela), the report noted that at least 13% of households had a member participating in these deals.

“The trend has remained the same across provinces for households that were participating in ISALs/Mukando/Ukuqogelela for the past three years," the report read.

On households that accessed loans, the report stated that at least 7% of the households had accessed loans.

“Manicaland (13%) and Masvingo (12%) had the highest proportion of households that had accessed loans,” the report said.

Mashonaland Central is third with 8%, Matabeleland South and Mashonaland East are fourth with 6% while Mashonaland West was recorded as the least with 2% of households accessing loans.

On assets ownership, the report stated that the most commonly owned assets by households were hoes (89,7%), axes (80,5%) and telephones (73,6%).

Motorcycles were the least owned at 1,8%.