Zimbabwe Faces Food Crisis

Financial Gazette (Harare)

June 21, 2001
Posted to the web June 21, 2001

Abel Mutsakani, Assistant News Editor
Harare

Zimbabwe will require food aid to avert severe shortages of wheat and maize expected by early next year, just about the time when the country's two-year foreign currency crisis will climax with reserves running completely dry, it was learnt this week.

The country needs to import about 579 000 tonnes of maize and wheat, says the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in a special report on Zimbabwe's food supplies just released.

Of the total imported quantity, 132 000 tonnes will be wheat and rice imports expected to be purchased by private traders, leaving the balance of 447 000 tonnes for maize, the country's staple diet.

The state's Grain Marketing Board (GMB) currently holds only 291 000 tonnes of maize in its strategic grain reserve instead of the 500 000 tonnes needed to carry the nation through to the next harvest, meaning that an actual deficit of about 200 000 tonnes will still need to be filled in by imports.

"We believe a minimum of 200 000 tonnes of maize needs to be imported," Commercial Farmers' Union deputy director Jerry Grant told the Financial Gazette.

Highly placed sources in the banking industry told this newspaper that the worst of the foreign currency crisis was still to come and that the little hard cash currently available would run out completely around October/November.

That ironically is the time Zimbabwe should ideally be preparing to pay for maize imports.

The FAO report cautioned that although large withdrawals from the strategic grain reserve would be needed very soon to cover up the maize shortfall, it was inadvisable to raid the reserves because of emerging food insecurity problems due to the government's diminishing purchasing power.

The UN agency's food security arm said Zimbabwe, in its worst social and economic crisis in 21 years, still needed to hold adequate cereal stock reserves to maintain stable and adequate supplies necessary to keep prices at affordable levels for poor families.

That left food aid as the only alternative to fund part of the maize import bill, it said.

Agriculture Minister Joseph Made maintains that the country has produced enough maize to see it through to the next harvest and that maize imports are out of the question.

Although GMB chairman Canaan Dube last week confirmed that strategic maize reserves were lower than the required 500 000 tonnes, he played down the question of imports.

He said food imports could only be considered once all data from the farms about this year's maize harvest was fully analysed.

Farming officials however said even though the government denied that it would import maize, plans were already underway to immediately bring into Zimbabwe about 60 000 tonnes of the staple food from South Africa.

In its latest bulletin dated April 30 2001, the Southern Africa Development Community's food security unit says maize and wheat imports are inevitable for Zimbabwe but that its hard cash crisis will hamper meaningful imports.

Finance Minister Simba Makoni, who sources say is now under immense pressure to find money to finance the imports, could not be reached for comment.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe did not respond to written questions from this newspaper on its foreign currency earning projections or current foreign reserves, believed to be only worth a few days of import cover.

Finance and banking industry sources said Zimbabwe would this year earn US$1.5 billion from exports but much of this money would find its way into an illegal but thriving parallel market.

The parallel market is offering up to $135 for one American dollar compared to the official $55 per greenback.

The remainder, most of it from the tobacco auction floors, would be gobbled up by fuel and electricity imports.

The cash-strapped government has already suspended debt repayments to the International Monetary Fund and other creditors amounting to about US$600 million.

The government's illegal fast-track land reforms, a shrinking economy, high input costs feeding on runaway inflation and irregular rainfall patterns have conspired to make Zimbabwe, once the regional breadbasket, into a net food importer.

Political commentators warn that the impending food crisis could spark widespread unrest among long-suffering Zimbabweans, 80 percent of whom live below the poverty line.

The FAO food supply assessment mission visited Zimbabwe from April 25 to last month and was helped by specialists from the agriculture and water ministries as well as the US Agency for International Development's famine early warning system.

War veterans rename sports club after Hunzvi

6/23/01 9:53:09 AM (GMT +2)

Political Reporter

ABOUT 20 war veterans who invaded Beatrice Sports Club two weeks ago, have renamed it the Hitler Club-Chenjerai Hunzvi, after their late leader, who died early this month.

The former fighters invaded the club after accusing the farming community of organising a cricket match allegedly to celebrate Hunzvi’s death.
The invasion took place right under the nose of the police, with the Officer-in-Charge of the Beatrice police station, an Inspector Tawagwisa, himself a war veteran, allegedly involved.
The war veterans have put up signs, which read: “Hitler Club - Chenjerai Hunzvi”, directing visitors to the club.
The club entrance has been defaced with the words “Hitler Club - Viva 3rd Chimurenga” inscribed in bold letters in honour of Hunzvi, who was buried at Heroes’ Acre 15 days ago.
Yesterday the atmosphere around the Beatrice farming community was tense.
The war veterans have locked up the club but they pay nocturnal visits to guzzle the beer and spirits stocked by the farmers.
The war veterans have also depleted the groceries and used the meat in nocturnal braais at the club.
The club is deserted during the day and the war veterans have lowered the boom on the road to the club.
Fires have been lit on the lawn and the ashes not removed.
The war veterans spearheading the invasion of the club were identified only as comrades Charamba, Zhou and Kata.
“Inspector Tawagwisa has been at the club with the war veterans but he refuses to assist in getting his colleagues out,” said an angry farmer who declined to be named.
“They’re aggressive and we are agreed that they are looking for a flash point and a possible blood-bath.
“It is not going to happen because we are not going to play into their hands.”

Harare health system faces collapse

6/23/01 9:55:50 AM (GMT +2)

Staff Reporter

DR Lovemore Mbengeranwa, the City of Harare’s Director of Health Services, says lack of funds is crippling the City Health Department's ability to provide efficient services to the residents of the capital.

According to his 2000 annual health report, the city council’s water supplies are threatened, garbage cannot be collected, sewage cannot be adequately treated, drugs and dressings cannot be procured and staff are unsure whether they will be paid at the end of the month because of a critical shortage of money.
Mbengeranwa said rising poverty and unemployment were a cause for concern in Harare.
He said: “This is creating an environment conducive to widespread malnutrition, particularly among children. Tuberculosis is on the increase due to overcrowding and malnutrition. Added to this is the ever-increasing burden of HIV/Aids.”
The number of recorded cases of TB increased from 6 538 in 1999 to 8 819 in 2000.
About 15 660 deaths were recorded in 2000 compared with 15 949 in 1999, a drop of 1,8 percent.
Mbengeranwa said the situation called for the speedy eradication of poverty.
The report depicts the deterioration of the nutrition status of schoolchildren. This, he said, mirrored the harsh economic conditions in the city.
He said for the third year running, Harare was unable to fund its supplementary feeding programme for disadvantaged children.
Mbengeranwa said fewer children under the age of five now visited clinics, because of the high fees now being charged. Previously they received free treatment with an up-to-date immunisation record kept as an incentive to encourage child immunisation.

Man to hang for brutal killing of employer

6/23/01 9:54:56 AM (GMT +2)

Court Reporter

Gordon Matanga, 21, of Harare, was yesterday sentenced to death by High Court judge, Justice Fergus Blackie, for brutally murdering Heather Desmond, of Chisipite last July.

After killing her, he shared her property with two of his friends.
Blackie sentenced Guideson Kanyemba, 25, also of Chisipite, and Charles Mubika, 25, of Mufakose, to 12 years in jail each for accessory to murder and eight years each for stealing Desmond’s car.
The sentences are to run concurrently.
Blackie said the record of evidence against Matanga will be submitted to the Supreme Court for review.
Matanga and Kanyemba worked for Desmond, but at the time of her murder only Matanga was still employed by her.
Matanga said Desmond’s death was accidental, claiming she had provoked him.
In mitigation, he said: “I want to apologise to Desmond’s family for what I did. I am sorry, but I did not plan to kill her. She provoked me.”
Tawanda Chitapi, Kanyemba’s lawyer, successfully applied for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court against his client’s sentence.
Blackie said the court was convinced that Matanga masterminded the death of his employer and collaborated with Mubika and Kanyemba to steal Desmond’s car, cellphone and $350.
Desmond’s charred body was recovered by the police near her house.

Farmers’ union considers changing name

6/23/01 9:40:38 AM (GMT +2)

By Raymond Mgadzah

The Commercial Farmers’ Union (CFU), which has been in bruising encounters with the government over the land issue, is considering a corporate identity revamp which may lead to a change of name and logo.

CFU president Tim Henwood said the change in corporate identity was being considered by members as a result of the impact of the clashes with government over the fast-track land resettlement programme.
The CFU recently dropped its court actions against the government and submitted a new plan under which land would be allocated as part of the land redistribution programme.
The CFU, in an exercise which it said demonstrated its commitment to the land reform exercise, last month urged commercial farmers to give an initial tranche of one million hectares of suitable uncontested land for acquisition by the government to resettle at least 20 000 landless families.
It has also offered to implement a $1,3 billion soft loan revolving fund through the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Bank to support the government's commercial farmer resettlement scheme.
The CFU promised to mount an international promotional campaign to publicise Zimbabwe's ability to settle its international problems in order to lure the foreign donor community to support the land reform programme financially.
Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, Dr Joseph Made rejected the new CFU proposals while the United Nations Development Fund welcomed them.
“We need to be progressive in changing times,” Henwood said. “That’s why the idea for a change of name was mooted. Changes are a good thing if they achieve good things.
“If the change of name is a sign of progress and changing attitudes then it’s a good thing.”
The CFU is running a competition to find a new name and logo.
Only CFU members are required to participate in the competition whose results will be announced at the CFU congress on 1 August.
The union, formerly called the Rhodesia National Farmers Union, changed its name to the CFU at independence in 1980.