Matabeleland South officials have requested a boost in food aid, citing over half a million people in the province facing food insecurity.
During a recent drought mitigation meeting in Bulawayo with the Minister of Public Service, Labour, and Social Welfare July Moyo, Acting Director of Local Governance Zacharia Jusa (formerly the Insiza District Development Coordinator) appealed for more food aid.
Jusa argued that the initial allocation of 322,336 beneficiaries for the province was insufficient. “We feel that 322,336 beneficiaries allocated to Matabeleland South is too low,” he stated.
Jusa added that Matabeleland South has 571,236 food-insecure residents. His office, through the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution in Matabeleland South, has written to the Cabinet Committee requesting a revision of the figures.
“We believe it’s necessary to bring this to your attention,” Jusa said. “We’ve written to the Cabinet Committee through the Minister of State, requesting that the number be reviewed to 571,236.”
“We noted that some statistics were based on 2019 data,” Jusa continued. “Our figure of 576,000 aligns with the district social welfare registers compiled between January and February of this year.”
Minister Moyo advised officials to communicate directly with his ministry for faster intervention. “Please communicate directly,” he said. “While you should copy your Minister of State, communicating directly would have resulted in a quicker response. Fortunately, we’ve already met with the Minister of State, and she raised the same concern regarding low figures for Mangwe and Bulilima. We are currently re-evaluating.”
Moyo instructed Jusa to send their correspondence to Tawanda Zimhunga, the Director of Social Development in his ministry.
“If you’ve documented everything, send it directly to [Zimhunga], the Minister of State, and the provincial secretary for review. However, amending these figures has implications for the Grain Marketing Board (GMB), the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), and budget allocation,” Moyo cautioned, highlighting the need for adjustments to logistical arrangements.
“We can’t be blamed if you’re left behind,” he stressed. “We need those figures. Send them to us immediately!”
The Minister further directed Zimhunga, the Director of Social Development, to share his mobile phone number with the officials for direct communication.
Jusa additionally reported that four chiefs in Gwanda District – Chief Nhlamba, Chief Mathema (Gwanda North), Chief Marupi, and Chief Mathe – had not received notifications from the ministry regarding their food allocation, unlike other chiefs.
“All the chiefs in the province received communication regarding their allocation except for these four,” Jusa explained. “We’ve since written to your office through the provincial social welfare heads, but haven’t received any feedback.”
Gwanda DDC Noma Ndlovu confirmed the exclusion of the four chiefs.
Minister Moyo assured that the issue would be rectified.
