Mahere blasts Mudenda over porridge advice

Former opposition legislator Fadzayi Mahere has sharply criticised National Assembly Speaker Jacob Mudenda for urging Zimbabweans to eat porridge instead of sadza or isitshwala to conserve maize meal ahead of a potentially devastating El Niño-induced drought.

Mahere accused the country's political leadership of expecting ordinary citizens to make sacrifices while Government officials continued to enjoy privileges, including expensive vehicles funded by public resources.

The controversy erupted after Mudenda warned legislators attending the 2027 Pre-Budget Seminar in Bulawayo on Friday that Zimbabwe needed to prepare for a possible severe drought associated with what he described as a looming "super El Niño".

Mudenda cautioned that the country could face serious food shortages, warning that some vulnerable citizens could die of hunger if they depended entirely on Government assistance.

Drawing from his childhood experiences during the 1957 drought, Mudenda encouraged Zimbabweans to adopt more conservative eating habits, including reducing the number of daily meals and replacing sadza with porridge to stretch limited maize meal supplies.

"In 1957, 10 years after the 1947 drought, people began to change how they fed themselves. They reduced from three meals a day to two. I recall that I was a toddler then. Instead of cooking isitshwala/sadza, you cooked porridge," Mudenda said.

"Yes, let everybody drink porridge. If you cook porridge, you save on mealie-meal. Tell the people that no sadza/isitshwala should be thrown away."

His remarks sparked criticism from Mahere, who questioned why citizens were being encouraged to reduce food consumption instead of the Government strengthening national grain reserves and investing in drought preparedness.

"Watching political fat cats say ‘let them eat porridge' as a solution to El Niño preparedness is crazy business," Mahere said.

She challenged the Government's repeated claims of economic progress, arguing that a growing economy should be capable of providing adequate food security measures for vulnerable households.

"If the economy is truly booming, why aren't they allocating enough resources to ensure we have adequate grain reserves to feed the population?" she asked.

Mahere also accused political leaders of prioritising their own comfort over the welfare of ordinary Zimbabweans.

"Mari yemota havashaye, but when it comes to funding the welfare of the masses, citizens must take the hit. Vanotijairira vanhu ava," she said.

Her remarks, loosely translated, suggest that money is always available for official vehicles, yet citizens are expected to bear the burden when resources are needed for public welfare.

The exchange has reignited debate over Government spending priorities, food security and the adequacy of Zimbabwe's preparations for possible drought conditions.

Zimbabwe remains vulnerable to prolonged dry spells, with many rural households relying heavily on rain-fed agriculture for food production and income.

Severe droughts can reduce maize harvests, increase food prices and place additional pressure on Government grain reserves and social protection programmes.

While Mudenda's remarks focused on reducing food waste and encouraging households to conserve available supplies, Mahere argued that the responsibility for preparing the country against hunger should rest primarily with the Government rather than struggling families.

The controversy comes as Treasury prepares to present the 2027 National Budget on November 19, with agriculture, food security and social welfare expected to feature prominently in discussions over national spending priorities.

Mahere's criticism highlights growing political pressure on the Government to demonstrate how it intends to protect vulnerable citizens against potential food shortages without forcing households to further reduce their already constrained consumption.