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Bulawayo's food insecure received pay outs
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More than 39 000 vulnerable and food-insecure people in Bulawayo received monthly allowances of up to US$13 between October 2024 and mid-2025, Parliament has been informed.
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Edgar Moyo told the National Assembly on August 20 that the initiative aimed to cushion struggling urban households.
"Bulawayo Metropolitan Province registered 219,849 people under the cash-for-cereal programme meant for vulnerable people in urban areas. The Government, through the Department of Social Development, paid 24,293 individuals in October 2024," Moyo said.
Each beneficiary received US$8 — converted into local currency at the interbank rate — deposited into their NetOne OneMoney accounts to help them buy cereal. The World Food Programme (WFP) supplemented the scheme by providing an extra US$5 to 15,000 beneficiaries for nutritional needs, bringing the total to 39,293 people supported in Bulawayo.
However, Moyo revealed that no further allocations were released by the Treasury after the October disbursement, effectively stalling the programme.
Emakhandeni-Luveve MP Descent Bajila had also asked whether the selection and notification of beneficiaries was digital, but the minister did not elaborate on the process.
The urban cash transfer programme was introduced to ease the economic burden on households hardest hit by food shortages. At least five million Zimbabweans are facing hunger following the El Niño-induced drought, which President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a national disaster while appealing for international assistance.
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Edgar Moyo told the National Assembly on August 20 that the initiative aimed to cushion struggling urban households.
"Bulawayo Metropolitan Province registered 219,849 people under the cash-for-cereal programme meant for vulnerable people in urban areas. The Government, through the Department of Social Development, paid 24,293 individuals in October 2024," Moyo said.
Each beneficiary received US$8 — converted into local currency at the interbank rate — deposited into their NetOne OneMoney accounts to help them buy cereal. The World Food Programme (WFP) supplemented the scheme by providing an extra US$5 to 15,000 beneficiaries for nutritional needs, bringing the total to 39,293 people supported in Bulawayo.
However, Moyo revealed that no further allocations were released by the Treasury after the October disbursement, effectively stalling the programme.
Emakhandeni-Luveve MP Descent Bajila had also asked whether the selection and notification of beneficiaries was digital, but the minister did not elaborate on the process.
The urban cash transfer programme was introduced to ease the economic burden on households hardest hit by food shortages. At least five million Zimbabweans are facing hunger following the El Niño-induced drought, which President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared a national disaster while appealing for international assistance.
Source - Southern Eye
