The Sunday News
Fairness Moyana
THE Government has deployed 12 vehicles in Matabeleland North Province to address transport challenges attributed to bad and inaccessible roads that have been affecting the distribution of drought relief grain to villagers in the districts.
Transporters contracted to distribute grain to the country’s districts have complained over the deplorable conditions of the rural roads which they say were inaccessible and were damaging their trucks.
The development has prompted the Department of Social Services to ask beneficiaries to pay $2 for transport logistics in areas that are not easily accessible.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Hwange district drought relief committee in Hwange on Friday, Provincial Administrator Ms Latitso Dhlamini said the situation was dire as they were also facing challenges in reaching all the areas to distribute food aid because of the bad roads.
She, however, said the Government had responded by dispatching 12 trucks to ferry the grain to areas that were being shunned by transporters due to accessibility.
“The drought situation in the province is dire, however, we have not recorded any deaths related to hunger. As you are aware that this type of drought has affected more people than ever, the food aid we have received in our GMB depots is being distributed in all districts. We are facing serious challenges in accessing other areas as transporters of the grain are shunning areas that have deplorable roads. I am glad to say that the Government has responded by dispatching vehicles that will reach these areas. Rural district councils have also been urged to accelerate their efforts on clearing or repairing roads that have been affected by the rains,” said Ms Dhlamini.
She called on relevant stakeholders to be organised and fully utilise the transport intervention as the trucks would swarm a particular district at one go before disappearing to the next on a rotational basis hence there were being termed “hit and run”.
Ms Dhlamini warned that the province’s food aid requirements were likely to double to include those that were not covered under the vulnerable groups as more people are facing food shortages.
Matabeleland North requires 6 057 tonnes per month of maize to save 118 065 vulnerable households from starvation. Of the 160 912 registered vulnerable households in the province Government through the Department of Social Services assists 86 500 of which 76 202 are labour constrained while 10 202 are under food for work.
Development partners are supporting 31 656 households bringing the total number of beneficiaries being assisted both by Government and NGOs to 118 065.
The worst affected districts, Hwange and Binga require monthly food aid of 1 592 and 2 576 tonnes respectively.
The Department of Social Welfare receives the grain from Grain Market Board (GMB) which is given to the elderly, child-headed households, disabled and chronically ill for free. GMB has since subsidised the maize for communal people from $22,50 per 50kg bag to $15 but allows rural beneficiaries to buy one 50kg bag per month.
