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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke in Bulawayo

Bulawayo residents have expressed gratitude for the Government’s cash-for-cereals programme, which provides money to buy basic food for vulnerable urban citizens. 

The initiative is a direct response to the findings of the 2024 ZimLAC report which showed that over 1,7 million urbanites face food insecurity this year.

It is a counterpart of the rural programme that provides direct rations of grain while the urban programme provides money to buy mealie meal.

The cash-for-cereal programme involves providing vulnerable individuals with a cash stipend, which they can then use to buy grain from designated retailers.

This approach is designed to empower recipients while also supporting local millers, wholesalers and the broader economy.

Bulawayo Metropolitan is currently finalising the registration process which will give the final number of people to benefit from the initiative.

Mr Felix Mpofu Chidori, a resident from New Luveve in Bulawayo, said the programme had come at an opportune time when he and his family were struggling to make ends meet.

“I am the sole breadwinner for my family of nine. I stay with my five children, two nieces and my sister who has mental health challenges.

“I provide for the family through selling second hand clothes but business has been low. I cannot afford to take my children to school, pay for medication for myself and my sister as well as providing food for them. I am really looking forward to getting this assistance from Government,” he said.

Another resident Mrs Muriel Dube, a pensioned widow, said she had found taking care of her 99 year old mother using her pension difficult.

“We are surviving on my paltry pension but it is not enough especially to cater for my mother’s special dietary and medical needs. I am hoping to get into the programme because it will help me to provide adequate food for her,” she said.

Said Ms Catherine Nyathi: “The economic situation is very difficult at the moment and for those of us who are self employed, we have not been earning as much as we used to. While we might be able to put food on the table, it is not enough because we still have to pay rent, school fees and many other expenses.

“We are happy that this initiative has been brought to us by the Government and we believe it will help us to feed our families.”

Permanent Secretary for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Mr Paul Nyoni said the ZimLAC assessment had shown that 41 percent of the people in Bulawayo were food insecure.

“We calculated this using the ZimStat figures and it means that just over 58 000 households should get this support. This translates to around 219 000 people out of the 659 000 people that are in Bulawayo as per the 2022 Census,” he said.