The
increase in cost of living exacerbated by a gloomy 2015/16 farming season has
already claimed lives as many bread winners succumb to the economic challenges.
The situation has been made desperate as men and women, young and old battle to
survive the effects of the 2014/15 drought. Women as young as 14 year olds have
dropped school and are being seen in popular places like Birchenough Bridge,
Checheche and Dzonzai in Chipinge selling sex for the purposes of eking a living.
Criminal activities that include burglary and stealing where the offenders are
targeting food items are now common at the police stations. A random survey has
also revealed that adultery, bribery and corruption carried out for the
purposes of survival are on the increase as the vulnerable members of the
society sell their birthright to survive
If
pronouncements from the meteorological department that the 2015/16 season will
receive the lowest rainfall ever are true, then we will have more challenges in
the country side. Judging by the desperate situation in most households, there
may be a vicious cycle of hunger, should there be no immediate intervention by
government. We are already in the farming season which started end of October
and it appears most farmers are incapacitated to buy seed and farming inputs
pointing to a gloom Agricultural season.
Young
people in Birchenough Bridge just like those in Tanganda and Checheche have
resorted to selling sand from save river. These young people who secure
permission by paying unknown amounts to their traditional leaders’ labor to
take out sand from the river which they then sell in loads. Territories have
already been created and selling river sand is making business in areas like
Maunganidze and Checheche due to the construction associated with the upgrades
of these areas to growth point and town status. The sight of women and children
making up loads of sand has been common as they support the newly found ways of
survival
“Village life has become very difficult to
manage, many people are starving. The idea of selling river sand at the river
bank as well as molding bricks has suddenly become popular and everyone is
rushing there, it is big business and paying more than selling beans and
tomatoes because there is currently no market” said Munyaradzi Mazunze
What
is interesting in these cases is the role of traditional leadership. Traditional
leadership is now alleged to be money mongers who can accept any activity to
take place as long as they are given a stipend or bribe. The conduct of some
traditional leadership has wiped them of the much deserved respect where they formally
stand in to protect the cultural values of the community. Because of young age,
some of the traditional leadership has become vulnerable because they need to
survive the biting hunger. In Maunganidze area, the local traditional
leadership allegedly receives money to allow those in brick molding to cut
trees for the purposes of firewood, despite these activities having been
condemned by EMA as the cause for land degradation. Because of the hard times
no one is standing up to defend the cultural mores of the community as
summarized by Giveness Remember Sithole who said,
“our traditional leadership are now too weak
to speak strongly against the cutting down of the sacred indigenous trees like
Mucha, Mukamba and Mubvumira that are becoming extinct. On the other hand no
one is taking full responsibility to adhere to the advice from EMA who have
condemned the digging of dongas without filling them, activities going on
unimpeded along Save river by those molding bricks”
Market
of beans and Bananas continue to be a big worry for most of those farmers in
Mutema and Chibuwe areas. Local market is dwindling since beans and bananas are
not staple foods. However there have been a lot of stories with people being
cheated in the name of looking for market. There was recently a case in Chibuwe
where villagers were conned to hand over their beans reserves to a prospective buyer. The
buyer who claimed to be coming from Mutare just disappeared and left villagers
stranded, hopeless and desperate. Some villagers lost all their harvests. The
privilege associated with owning an acre of irrigated land has been transformed
to anguish and pain since there is no return for effort made. The situation in
Chibuwe has been made even more anxious due to elephants that have come to
vandalize the irrigation plots.
Platform
for Youth Development (PYD) is aware and has been following on President Robert
Mugabe and his two vice Presidents Hon Phekezela Mphoko and Hon Emerson
Mnangagwa, who have repeatedly been quoted in the media declaring that no one
will starve. PYD just wish to raise a distressed voice for the government to
intervene.ZANU PF has always been accused of taking advantage during such
stressful periods to then buy votes by only providing food relief to those who
attends and subscribe to their political programs. According to the United
Nations and other sources more than 1.5 million people are already in dire need
of food relief in Zimbabwe.
“we challenge the government of Zimbabwe to
go beyond political slogans and come to the rescue on the people of Chipinge
and any other communities in Zimbabwe who have provided alert that they are in
need of food relief “ Claris Madhuku who is the director of the Platform
for Youth Development said.
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