HARARE In Mahenye, a tourist resort about 400km south-east of Harare on the border between Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa, hungry people are queuing for the meagre rations offered by church workers.The elderly are beginning to suffer terribly – not much food and not much hope of it either. Here in this backwater rural area the people gather wild plants called mawuyu, a traditional meal in times of hardship. US dollars are scarce, even though the general dealers left bare by government price controls have refilled their shelves. The situation has deteriorated drastically, with idle shop keepers spending the whole day fanning themselves with old newspapers.
“People just dont have money,” said Maria, a shopkeeper. “Most of the time, they buy using chickens,” she said.
Many people have abandoned their homes in search of food and work.
“For three days I haven’t eaten, because of this I have no energy, that is why you see me here,” explained one man.
Yet the commercial farms that could have provided much of the food needed are lying abandoned, their owners forced out. Crops planted by the new farmers are suffering due to lack of water and fertiliser. Making matters worse for these farmers is the fact that no subsidies are offered to them by the government which resettled them. The dearth of funds to support agriculture has “severely hampered” their efforts, said Rherhi Manyarhule, a new farmer.
Even the children have not been spared, with signs of malnutrition apparent: bulging stomachs, ashen faces and emaciated bodies. However, nobody here seems to doubt that change is coming. The only question is whether it will be peaceful or violent.
Post published in: News