18 November 2008
Bulawayo — A Botswana MP last week called for a ban on Zimbabweans buying maize-meal in bulk, accusing them of fuelling food shortages in the neighbouring country.
Debating President Ian Khama's recent State of the Nation address, Francistown West MP Tshelang Masisi said Botswana could not afford to continue "feeding" Zimbabweans when its own people were starving.
"The food situation is a serious source of concern because Zimbabweans hoard maize-meal, which they take to their country at the expense of Batswana," he said.
Masisi called for the deportation of those caught buying the scarce commodity in bulk.
Since early this year, Zimbabweans have been flocking into Botswana in search of maize-meal after the government relaxed import duty on basic commodities.
The staple maize-meal, sugar and cooking oil, which are in short supply locally, are some of the commodities that are highly sought after.
The debate in the Botswana parliament comes at a time when grain shortages are intensifying throughout the country.
Last week, the Famine Early Warning Network (Fewsnet), an arm of the United States Agency for International Development, warned that food shortages in Zimbabwe were set to worsen in the next few months.
In its latest report, Fewsnet said given "the current economic turmoil and political instability", the government and donors were not well placed to deal with the looming famine.
The World Food Programme also announced that it was cutting food rations given to starving Zimbabweans after a poor response to an appeal for more donor support.
Aid agencies estimate that at least five million Zimbabweans will face starvation by the beginning of next year. If Botswana goes ahead with the ban on the importation of maize-meal in bulk the move might mean that even those with access to foreign currency would face starvation.
Meanwhile, a 19-year-old man from Gweru was crushed by a goods train last week as he tried to steal grain from a moving locomotive.
The tragedy comes amid reports that Zimbabweans are resorting to desperate measures to eke out a living in the wake of the worsening food shortages.
Midlands police spokesman Emmanuel Mahoko said Lisures Maseko died on Monday morning at Somabhula Railway Station, about 30km from Gweru as he tried to offload grain from a moving train.
Mahoko said when the train approached the station, Maseko tried to jump in with the intention to steal but was run-over by the locomotive.
"His accomplice informed the police after the late Maseko was run over by the train," he said. "The accomplice said they intended to steal maize from the goods train."
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Zimbabwe Standard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
