Staff Writer
LABOUR and Social Welfare Minister,Paul Mavima claims to have distributed 7.1 thousand tonnes of maize during the Covid19 lockdown alongside cash transfers to thousands of households in Zimbabwe.
Speaking during a press briefing Wednesday morning Mavima said considerable assistance has been rendered.
“A total of 7 114.49 metric tonnes of grain was distributed to vulnerable communities in eight rural provinces during the month of April 2020.
Government has also scaled up cash disbursements to food poor and labor constrained households which has seen 63 000 beneficiary households,” he said.
Mavima said a total of $25.2 million has since been disbursed.
However,the remarks come despite the existence of visible hunger which has stricken the Southern Africa nation as a result of the imposed five weeks long lockdown without any meaningful support from government.
Citizens have questioned details on the exact beneficiaries of the assistance which are not readily available as details are presented in summary.
Other countries in the region like South Africa have clearly outlined the assistance modalities including the designated pick up points for groceries and such has not been taking place in Zimbabwe.
Figures being presented are far below the total population of 15 million Zimbaweans who can no longer secure food due to the lockdown in an economy which is highly informalised.
Mavima said at least 950 returning residents were received during the period while 201 631 people received cash transfers.
” We have a constitutional mandate to provide social protection services to vulnerable groups including the transitory poor after the declaration of Covid19 as a national disaster and the subsequent implementation of lockdown measures to contain its spread,we have scaled up protection programs,”he added.
