Back to Index

Starvation and hunger exposes villagers to economic exploitation
Zimbabwe Youth Forum
October 16, 2008

High levels of desperation to get food has totally exposed people in the rural areas to blatant exploitation by some haves who have access to grain. In a bid to survive the villagers in Hwedza, Buhera, Sadza and many parts in Mashonaland East are giving out their goats in exchange of a bucket of maize or half a tonne of maize for a beast of cattle. A bucket of maize is pegged at 100 rands($210 000), an amount which is by far less worth a goat, considering the fact that a kilogram of goat meat is going for 50 rands($105 000). Under this deceitful deal a beast is worth 3 000 rands, an equivalence of 50 kgs of beef in butcheries. What exposes the level of greediness of the buyers of maize is that they purchase maize at Grain Marketing Board at only $21 000(an equivalence of 10 rands), which means 10 buckets can fetch 10 goats for the dealers and besides they get first preference to obtain grain at the expense of needy citizens, who wait in queues for days as truckloads truckloads of maize for the rich will be loaded to lubricate their deceitful deals. What is more appalling is that in Chipinge and other marginalised areas school going girls and young women are being sacrificed to old men for mealie meal and maize. This is violation of children's rights as enshrined in the Child Protection and Adoption Act. What is disappointing is that most of the dealers are the same people whom we expect to ply a role in providing for the vulnerable and needy citizens.

The situation of those in need of food is that food is still being distributed on party lines, with those who are perceived to be opposition side deprived of the much needed food. ZANU PF is still in control of food distribution both BACCOSI and humanitarian food aid. They even go an extra mile of looting maize sourced by opposition leaders initiatives as evidenced by recent media reports that in Zaka and Bikita the food which was sourced by councillors was confiscated following suspicion that they had obtained from their Western allies hence they were labelled sell-outs.

The people in rural areas are now surviving on wild fruits and leaves, as a result the chiefs have made it a law that all livestock should not be freed from their housings before 11am to give people time to gather fruits and leaves. Some people are now leaving purely on green vegetables and porridge. People are now surviving on one meal a day, this has resulted in malnutrition leading to kwashiorkor and marasmus to the detriment of many people particularly the children. Theft of food is also on the increase as revealed by chiefs in Mashonaland East. The abuse of women, particularly the young is on the on increase. Most parents have also stopped sending their kids to school since they are not able to concentrate and besides there are no teachers in schools, having gone on strike whilst some fleed during pre-run-off period when ZANU PF militia was on rampage.

As Youth Forum we put all the blame on the dragging of feet to come up with an inclusive government by ZANU PF. There is need to speed up the process, so that poverty alleviation and developmental programmes begin to take place. The nation cannot to afford such levels of suffering any hour from now. With five million people facing starvation the politicians need to be serious. There is however need to increase pressure from the streets. We also take this opportunity to lambast the state brutality as evidenced by the harsh treatment of students and other youths on Tuesday as they marched to parliament demanding better living standards.

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP