Grannies turn to gold panning as hunger stalks Silobela
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SYDNEY MUBAIWA
MIDLANDS BUREAU
SILOBELA – Hunger is ravaging Silobela District in the Mid-lands Province and this has pushed elderly people including grannies into gold panning, Zibagwe Rural District councillor for Ward 29, Willard Moyo has told The Mirror.
Villagers are also selling a few cattle that they have in order to buy food while schools feeding programmes have ground to a halt.
The development comes as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that used to provide food handouts in most rural parts have pulled back as the political environment is getting unfavora-ble because of increasing political violence and Government poli-cies.
Moyo called on Government to bring back school feeding schemes as school kids are starving.
“Most of the people in my ward including women have resorted to gold panning along the banks of Gweru River. The challenge is that Social Welfare food programs which traditionally give food to the less privileged have reduced the number of beneficiaries. We were told that the Government’s budget is limited.
“We also used to receive food handouts from donors like the World Food Programme (WFP),” he said.
He appealed to Government to chip in with food aid programs and to bring back schools’ feeding schemes.
“We appeal to Government to increase the number of beneficiar-ies on social welfare schemes and to bring back schools feeding programs before we die of hunger,” he said.