Cyclone Idai Survivors Starve Whilst Warehouses Choke With Food
Food aid donated towards Cyclone Idai survivors in Chimanimani is failing to reach some people who are in need for various reasons.
Some villagers who spoke to 263Chat revealed that they received food aid only once, yet they observe trucks laden with goods driving towards Chimanimani on a daily basis.
In Tiya village, a businessman and politician Joseph Makamba Busha donated 50 of the 400 bags of mealie meal. Tiya village headman, SaTiya said:
We are hungry and suffering, we are told that people are donating but that food is not getting to us, we have only received aid once and this is the second time. Our people really need this food and we appeal for more.
A villager, Tineyi Sarupinda said he was perplexed by their failure to get supplies whilst trucks were taking food to Chimanimani. He said:
From where my house is, I see heavy-duty vehicles every day taking food aid to Chimanimani town centre.
To my surprise, since the cyclone hit us a month ago, we have only been given assistance once, we are not sure where the food is going.
Chimanimani East MP Joshua Sacco blamed damaged infrastructure on the authorities’ failure to deliver food to the needy. Said, Sacco:
Our roads were impassable but now they are being fixed for temporary access. We are now working on distributing food to all the citizens in Chimanimani.
We still have challenges in areas where we don’t have access… we have certain areas which are not accessible yet but today have had people from the Civil Protection Unit who have come to discuss with us our challenges.
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