“THE World Food Programme (WFP) says over 1,5 million Zimbabweans in the urban areas will be food insecure this year as the country continues to suffer the effects of the economic downturn and a crippling El Niño-induced drought,” reported Bulawayo 24.
“Worsened by high levels of unemployment that have over the years breached 98%, Zimbabwe's urbanites will require urgent food aid after the end of the traditional lean season, WFP country representative Eddie Rowe said.
"Quite rightly what we are seeing is urban poverty. This is because of high unemployment and lack of social services. All this has a direct impact on the ability of a household to get food," Rowe said in an interview this week.
The UN agency has already piloted a food assistance programme in Epworth, one of the country's poorest high-density settlements, feeding over 20 000 residents.
"While we are moving into assistance, it is part of a comprehensive intervention to address urban poverty. So what we have decided is to do a pilot in Epworth where we are now providing a livelihood accretion of about US$9 per person to almost 20 000 residents," Rowe said.
WFP should know that the 98% unemployed were specifically targeted by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube with his 2% electronic transaction charge because they were not paying income tax. Most of the unemployed urbanites are vendors living on US$ 30 per month or less and the Minister wanted a cut of their meagre earnings.
Minister Ncube has, so far at least, not touch the filthy rich ruling elite who are looting the nation blind to build their palatial mansions, to buy their fleet of posh cars and to finance their extravagant lifestyles. The 2% tax has provided the additional income only to pay for hired private jets and more luxuries for the ruling elite.
If any of the growing army of Zimbabweans living in abject poverty should ever think of going on the street to voice their poverty induced suffering and deaths; Zanu PF will descend on them like a tonne of bricks. The message Zanu PF has send out, with the state security services’ wanton violence including the order of shoot to kill following the 1st August 2018 election protest and the two weeks of fuel increase protest in January 2019, is that the regime will not tolerate dissent.
Zanu PF rigged last year’s elections and the party is doing as it pleases.
If the people of Zimbabwe are serious about ending their economic suffering and about living a free, just and prosperous Zimbabwe; they must break the vicious cycle that has alone Zanu PF to rig elections to extend its rule for the last 38 years and counting. Zanu PF rigged last year’s elections, the party has no mandate to govern, and must be forced to step down as the only sure way of finally ending the party’s tyrannical rule.
Zanu PF must step down to create the political space to allow the appointment of an interim administration tasked to implement the democratic reforms designed to stop the vote rigging.
If Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies are allowed to remain in power till 2023, then the party will rig those elections too and thus extend its rule by yet another five years. That must not be allowed to happen!
By Jeff Kurai Chakanyuka
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