Mnangagwa’s choice of best performing
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s move to confer the status of best performing minister to Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources minister Anxious Masuka has raised eyebrows as it is coming at a time when millions of Zimbabweans face hunger, water chalCLAIM: lenges and mass evictions.
A grim reality is unfolding as the scorching sun beats down on the parched fields across Zimbabwe, with little hope that wilting crops will survive the prolonged dry spell.
The government received several warnings of the poor rainfall as a result of El Nino, but little was done by Masuka’s ministry to revive irrigation schemes and support the farming of drought resistant crops to avert a hunger crisis.
In a remote village in Mashonaland Central province, 28-yearold Nyasha Makombe watches helplessly as her children's bellies rumble with hunger.
Makombe is not expecting to harvest much from her small field as her planted crops wilt because of the prolonged dry spell, leaving her without any food to sustain her family through the harsh months ahead.
In a nation where agriculture has long been the backbone of the economy, the challenges faced by farmers exacerbate the food crisis.
Many households rely on subsistence farming, with maize as the dominant crop.
Limited access to agricultural training and extension support further hampers productivity, leaving farmers ill-equipped to cope with changing climatic conditions and maximize their yields.
"The struggle is real," says Makombe.
"We do our best with the limited resources we have, but it's an uphill battle.
“Without proper training and support, it's hard to break free from the cycle of food insecurity."
According to humanitarian aid agencies, over two million Zimbabweans are food insecure owing to the climate change induced drought.
These staggering statistics raise grave concerns about the availability and distribution of food resources.
However, the government has been coy on the available grain stocks to feed hungry Zimbabweans.
In January, Grain Marketing Board officials said the country was left with only four months of grain supplies, but the government later dismissed the claims, saying the country had enough stocks to meet demand.
However, indications prove otherwise with the government now in a panic mood over the impending crisis as shown by the decision to allow the importation of food duty free beginning in July.
Social justice activist Tendai Rueben Mbofana said it defied logic to have Masuka named as the best performing minister.
Mbofana described the minister as the “abysmal failure” in the face of the El Nino induced drought that has left Makombe and thousands of other Zimbabweans needing emergency food aid.
“It is not as if there were not enough early warnings that we would have an El Nino induced drought, but the government ignored and chose to use propaganda to lie to the world that Zimbabwe was food secure,” said Mbofana.
Masuka was in 2023 also named as the best performing minister.
A fortnight ago, Mnangagwa awarded top-performing inisters, permanent Secretaries and heads of other government departments, a development which was met with criticism by analysts.
Observers say government-led social assistance programmes, alongside support from development partners, should play a crucial role in mitigating the impact of food insecurity.
In early January, Social Welfare minister July Moyo told journalists that 2.7 million people would need food assistance during the peak hunger period of January to March 2024.
At the time, Moyo said the government had plans to commence an emergency food aid distribution programme targeting the food insecure.
However, recently Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare deputy minister Mercy Dinha said the delivery of food aid to Zimbabweans had been delayed due to lack of funding.
As hunger looms large, the government a fortnight ago authorised companies and individuals to import maize, rice, and cooking oil duty-free starting from July 2024 to prevent potential food shortages due to the El Nino-induced drought.
Although Zimbabwe is one of several African countries that have banned the cultivation or sale of genetically modified crops, some advocates have called on the government to take a fresh look and embrace the growing of such crops in the wake of recurring droughts and other conditions associated with climate change
Masuka is also facing intense scrutiny for his role in controversial evictions and failure to revive irrigation schemes countrywide.
Hundreds of villagers have been evicted from their properties on charges that they had been settling on State land illegally.
Some of the villagers were arrested and dragged to court, leaving out Zanu PF linked barons.
The evictions were suspended following a public outcry, including from within Zanu PF.
Masuka’s ministry was also dragged to court by human rights’ groups over the evictions.
The ministry has also failed to bring to fruition the much awaited Gwayi-Shangani dam project, which was supposed to boost agriculture and was seen as a long lasting solution to water challenges facing Bulawayo.
Mnangagwa last week said the Gwayi-Shangani Dam, which is seen as a long lasting solution to the city’s water crisis, would be completed by year end.
Last year he promised that his administration would complete construction of the dam before the August 2023 elections.
The government had initially said the dam would have been completed in December 2022 before pushing the date to 2023 and now December this year.
Last year, Masuka also promised to drill boreholes countrywide and provide water treatment chemicals to Harare City Council but has not yet fulfilled his promise.
Some of the boreholes that were drilled to curb the water crisis are being politicised, with Zanu PF only supporters accessing the precious liquid.
This has led to many residents resorting to unsafe water sources,