Starvation rocks Mat South
By Albert Mazhale
Tuesday, 28 September 2010 11:40
GWANDA – Villagers in some parts of Matabeleland South now accept maize as
payment for cattle amid reports pupils are dropping out of school due to
starvation.
Villagers in Nhwali are barter trading a single beast for as little as ten
bags of maize to avert hunger following poor yields in the province.
“It’s not a fair deal but you can only ignore it at your own risk, at the
end of it all you have no option but to go for it as children need to be
fed,” said Emmanuel Moyo a villager in Nhwali.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai earlier this year declared the southern
region a drought disaster area after touring parts of the province to assess
the hunger situation.
Enterprising business people are sourcing maize from Lupane and Gokwe for
barter trading in the province.
A bag of maize( with three tins) sells for around $15 while a reasonably
sized beast sells for between $300 and $500.
Ironically 200 metric tonnes of maize meant for Mat South is reportedly
stuck at Grain Marketing Board (GMB) Bulawayo depot amid reports there are
no funds to transport the consignment to Gwanda.
The region has in the past suffered incessant droughts and has largely
depended on donor supplies for survival.
However, of late aid agencies have become reluctant to provide food
assistance after President Robert Mugabe accused them of nurturing a
dependency syndrome among Zimbabweans.