No ID, no food aid for villagers

THE Tokwe-Mukorsi flood victims who were resettled in Chingwizi resettlement area in Mwenezi have been left stranded and failing to get aid as a majority of them do not have National IDs while they are also failing to get birth certificates for their new born babies, Sunday News reported.

Most of the villagers claim that they lost their identity cards when their original homes were destroyed by floods in Masvingo South and Chivi communal lands and have been struggling to get new National IDs while most babies who were born at Chingwizi camp do not have birth certificates.

Approximately 3 000 families were forcibly evacuated from the soon-to-be-largest inland water reservoir's flood basin and stayed for days in the open along the Masvingo-Beitbridge highway before they were resettled in a part of the Nuanetsi Ranch.

According to villagers, some of the victims and their children have been failing to get adequate food aid because they would have failed to either identify themselves or their children.

One of the villagers who refused to be named said most villagers were failing to get support from different organisations because they do not have IDs.

The villager said most of them are failing to travel back to Chivi to get the documents because they do not have any source of income.

"We have a serious challenge here because we do not have IDs. Even if we try to look for employment we are required to produce the IDs. Social Welfare also requires IDs when they come with any form of assistance. This has left us stranded and the dire situation has been worsened by the fact that we are supposed to travel back to Chivi where our records are so that we can get new IDs. We are appealing to the Government to assist us get our IDs so that we will be able to access humanitarian aid," said the villager.

Another villager said their children were also in the same predicament as they were required to produce birth certificates at school and if they were to sit for any examination or participate in any sporting activity.

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Obedingwa Mguni could neither deny nor confirm the issue but insisted that the Government had the capacity to assist the flood victims.

"I am not aware of that but what I can assure you is that we will definitely facilitate the process of issuing IDs to the villagers. I will have to engage the registrar's offices who are responsible for the issuing of IDs," he said.