People in Binga were forced to eat caterpillars and sour fruit mixed with ash to stay alive after local authorities blocked food deliveries for several months, the Member of Parliament for the area Joel Gabuzza said.
He said although people had money, there was nothing to buy except beer, soft drinks, and Mazoe-a sweet, concentrated fruit-flavoured beverage that is mixed with water.
This was way back in 2002 as the government which had been reluctant to allow genetically modified maize allowed the World Food Programme to import the maize but it had to be milled only at one plant in Bulawayo.
The government also allowed several non-governmental organisations to start distributing food in Binga.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 02HARARE2871, MATABELELAND: FOOD ACCESS REMAINS TENUOUS
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 HARARE 002871
SIPDIS
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR J. FRAZER
LONDON FOR C. GURNEY
PARIS FOR C. NEARY
NAIROBI FOR T. PFLAUMER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2012
SUBJECT: MATABELELAND: FOOD ACCESS REMAINS TENUOUS
REF: HARARE 2793
Classified By: POLITICAL OFFICER KIMBERLY JEMISON FOR REASONS 1.5 B AND
¶D.
¶1. SUMMARY: (U) Ambassador, USAID Officer, State Zimbabwe
Desk Officer and Political Officer visited Matabeleland North
province December 3 to December 6 to meet with people
affected by the food and HIV/AIDS crises. Food issues
dominated discussions as scarcities intensified across the
country. The food situation remains tenuous, although there
are signs the situation may improve in the next few weeks, in
Binga. Recent steps by the GOZ to allow WFP to mill
biotechnology derived corn at two mills in Zimbabwe and to
accredit additional NGOs to distribute food will help
throughout the country, but the half-full WFP pipeline and
delays caused by slow GOZ decisions will offset the positive
effect.
——————-
FOOD ACCESS TENUOUS
——————-
¶2. (U) Ambassador, USAID Officer, State Zimbabwe Desk Officer
and Political Officer visited Matabeleland North province
December 3 to December 6 to meet with beneficiaries, NGO, UN,
private sector and GOZ representatives. The primary concern
of the people we met was the food crisis.
¶3. (U) On 3 December, the group visited National Foods’
Bulawayo mill, a major milling company hired by the World
Food Program (WFP) to mill biotechnology derived (BT) corn,
in Bulawayo to learn about the challenges facing the milling
industry. (NOTE: National Foods was at that point the sole
company permitted to mill BT corn. National Foods milled all
the imported corn for the country during the 1992 drought.
END NOTE.) At the time of our meeting, National Foods had
just received a fax from the GOZ stating that the Government
would not allow additional imports of BT corn into the
country. (NOTE: Poloff and Deskoff learned in a 9 December
meeting with WFP country director that the GOZ had since
agreed to allow the National Foods mill in Bulawayo to
continue milling and its mill in Gweru to also grind BT corn.
See Reftel. The daily milling capacity of National Foods,
other mills are: Harare 800 MT, Gweru 220 MT, Masvingo 120
MT, Mutare 170 MT. END NOTE.)
¶4. (U) National Foods was completing its second contract to
mill 13000 MT of corn, which takes approximately one month.
The mill in Bulawayo has a maximum capacity of 450 MT per day
of which a minimum of 95 percent is final product corn meal.
Under normal circumstances, the by-product would be used as
animal feed, but the GOZ has forbidden this because of
concerns about beef exports to the EU and had ordered the
by-products burned. National Foods has appealed to WFP to
lobby the GOZ to allow National Foods to sell the by-products
to feed producers. In a separate meeting with us, the WFP
country director seemed amenable to the idea even proposed
shipping the by-products to South Africa.
THIN FOOD COVERAGE IN MATOBO DISTRICT
—————————————
¶5. (U) We saw a general food distribution in Manyane ward,
Matobo district, Matabeleland South. WFP through its
implementing partner, World Vision (WV), has been feeding
people in Matobo since April 2002. World Vision is providing
food to 50 percent of the people in Manyane ward, which has a
total population of 5025 people. During our visit,
beneficiaries learned that their rations would be reduced
from 12 kg to 5 kg of corn per person per month due to a gap
in the food pipeline. The beneficiaries also received 800 ml
of oil per household (a household comprising five people).
The recommended food basket provides 2100 calories per day
and includes 12 kg corn, 1 kg beans, and 600 ml vegetable oil
per person per month. (COMMENT: The beneficiaries were
surprisingly calm when informed of the reduced rations. When
the chief said &A half a loaf of bread(8 the villagers
replied, &(is better than no bread.8 END COMMENT.)
¶6. (U) In addition to Manyane, WV is feeding people in the
other 18 communal wards in Matobo. The Matobo district
population is approximately 111,000 people and WV is feeding
40-50 percent feeding coverage. In April, WV was feeding
70-75 percent of the population in just 5 wards, so more
residents in this district are now being fed.
CHURCH CANNOT IMPORT FOOD
————————-
¶7. (U) On December 3, Ambassador, DeskOff and PolOff met in
Bulawayo with Anglican Bishop Wilson Sitshebo who told us the
Anglican Church has been trying, unsuccessfully, to import
corn. Bishop Sitshebo told us the Church had applied for and
received the necessary import permits, met with Agriculture
Minister Joseph Made, and sourced the corn in South Africa,
only to have Made change his mind and revoke the import
permit.
NGOS CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC
————————–
¶8. (U) In addition to the Matabeleland North meetings
reported below, Poloff and Deskoff met with the Harare-based
directors of WFP, World Vision, and GOAL to discuss the food
situation. World Vision and GOAL are WFP implementing
partners with GOAL recently approved. WV also has bilateral
programs separate from the WFP effort.
–WORLD VISION–
¶9. (U) In a December 2 meeting with World Vision, country
Director Rudo Kwaramba said she had just returned from
Mashonaland East, where she had found the province in very
bad shape. She said this is unusual and hypothesized that
the policymakers do not know what is going on, or are
refusing to admit there is a problem. Kwaramba said people
were just happy to get vegetables and tea.
¶10. (U) When asked about recent allegations of
politicization, Kwaramba explained WV,s beneficiary
selection process and their 10 percent random sampling of
registered beneficiaries. She also told us WV had contracted
Deloitte and Touche to set up a monitoring system independent
from the United Nations, International Verification Unit
(IVU) whereby staff members and other stakeholders could
report misconduct, or behavior contrary to the aims of the
program, via a hotline.
¶11. (U) Kwaramba expressed concern about future food
supplies through its bilateral program because of the BT
issue. She also said the fuel crisis will affect
distributions. Kwaramba cited one incident where a WV driver
was denied fuel because he did not have a ZANU-PF card.
–WORLD FOOD PROGRAM–
¶12. (U) On December 9, Poloff and Deskoff met with WFP
Director Kevin Farrell. Farrell told us he had noticed an
increased willingness within the GOZ over the last month to
engage on the food side. The GOZ had just told him to forget
about the 17500 MT corn swap and bring in the corn and mill
it with other donor funds. Farrell attributed the positive
shift on milling more to Social Welfare Minister July Moyo,s
trip to South Africa to assess that country’s milling
capacity than to donor pleas to allow BT food in. In spite
of this relaxation on in-country milling, the NGO
registration process is still a mystery, and some NGOs are
still awaiting clearance (Mercy Corps, World Relief).
Farrell said WFP would concentrate on the existing twelve
implementing partners and not direct resources to the NGOs
awaiting clearance.
¶13. (U) Farrell said some of the donor community’s advocates
in the GOZ’s civil service could not be counted on anymore
because of increased apathy among the cadre. Lack of a
living wage and fear of lay-offs or demotions have dulled the
initiative of some civil servants. Farrell cited an example
of a biosafety board employee who was berated for arguing for
the approval of BT corn.
¶14. (U) When asked about politicization of food aid, Farrell
said the level of interference by the GOZ was no worse than
what has occurred in many other countries. He stated that
the GOZ has never tried to prioritize districts along
political lines. Farrell said the frequency of problems with
the GOZ depends upon the implementing partners’ food aid
experience in general as well as their experience in
Zimbabwe. He admitted that political problems were hindering
deliveries in Mberengwa, Gwanda, Zaka and some of Christian
Care’s Mashonaland locations.
–GOAL–
¶15. (U) Paul Brandrop, country prospects for GOAL, an Irish
NGO, seemed more optimistic than the WFP and WV directors
about prospects for successfully delivering enough food to
their beneficiaries. GOAL is responsible for Makoni and
Hurungwe districts. GOAL was still in the registration
process when Poloff and Deskoff met with Brandrop on December
¶9. Brandrop told us local government leaders have been very
helpful, and the provincial governors of Manicaland and
Mashonaland West even gave GOAL their cell phone numbers with
instructions to call if there are any problems. (NOTE: A few
weeks ago the governor of Manicaland, Oppah Muchinguri,
accused senior ZANU-PF officials of corruption in food
distribution. END NOTE) Brandrop told us a ZANU-PF District
Administrator made an announcement at one of the community
meetings that precedes registration reiterating that no
politics were to be involved in distributions. He also said
that neither the police nor the ZANU-PF youth has been a
problem.
¶16. (U) GOAL plans to begin distributions by December 25 but
admits there are pipeline problems. The objective is to
distribute 4500 MT of food per month. GOAL has also applied
to Irish Aid for more of the corn-soy blend (CSB) used in
school feedings in an effort to maintain school attendance,
particularly of girls. GOAL has suggested to the GMB that
they cover people who have assets and those living in wards
uncovered by international food assistance. Brandrop said
his GMB contacts seem willing to work with donors but they
probably have very little influence.
————————————
ISOLATED INCIDENTS OF POLITICIZATION
————————————
¶17. (U) To avoid or minimize the temptation to politicize
food distributions, WV suspended distributions in Matobo
during the September rural district council elections. WV
has tried to implement a system that minimizes opportunities
for abuse. Village heads select people to be placed on a
beneficiary list after going over the selection criteria with
the community. WV then verifies the list by taking a random
sample of the people on the list and performing spot checks.
¶18. (U) Anglican Bishop Sitshebo said people were still
selectively receiving food in Insiza and that the officials
were toeing the ZANU-PF party line and only giving GMB food
upon presentation of a ZANU-PF party card. (NOTE: At that
point distribution of WFP food had not resumed. END NOTE.)
The Bishop also told us that in Gwelutshena in Nkayi
district, people from neighboring Midlands province had to
present a ZANU-PF card even before they were allowed to queue
for corn, or else they could be beaten up. The Bishop also
said the green bombers, the euphemism given members of the
youth militia, were known to be directing corn deliveries in
Gweru in Midlands province.
¶19. (U) On 4 December, the group met with MDC Bulawayo
Executive Mayor J.Ndabeni-Ncube. Ncube said that the former
ministers, such as the former education minister, were the
worst ones in terms of politicizing GMB food deliveries in
the Bulawayo area. Ncube claimed that the Former Education
Minister has tons of food at his house and a sign over his
door that reads &No ZANU-PF card. No food.8 He also
claimed that Vice President Msika has a store in Bulawayo
where they bar MDC members from buying food.
——————————
BINGA: ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
——————————
¶20. (U) After local authorities blocked food aid deliveries
to Binga for several months, this district is primed to
become one of the better-served districts. According to
Member of Parliament for Binga, Joel Gabuzza, people were
eating caterpillars and sour fruit mixed with ash to stay
alive. Gabuzza also said people had money but there was
nothing to buy except beer, soft drinks, and Mazoe (a sweet,
concentrated fruit-flavored beverage that is mixed with
water).
¶21. (U) During a December 5 meeting with representatives
from Save the Children-UK (SCF) and Catholic Development
Commission (CADEC), we learned that, although the situation
has been dire in Binga, the two NGOs are well positioned to
feed the entire population. SCF is poised to feed 124,000
people in Binga district (the entire population) and 6000
social welfare cases (elderly, disabled, sick, child-headed
households) in Kariba in Mashonaland West between
mid-December and the end of April. SCF has been feeding
30,000 social welfare cases in Binga since November. SCF
sourced food from South Africa in May and June and has had
its suppliers holding the food since the GOZ suspended aid
distributions in the district for the second time in October.
The monthly food basket for each person includes 10 kg of
corn meal, 2 kg of sugar beans, and 375 ml of vegetable oil.
¶22. (U) CADEC has been administering a child supplementary
feeding program in Binga for two years. They feed 63,000
children between the ages of 6 months and 12 years and 2000
pregnant women at more than 680 feeding points. CADEC would
like to extend school feeding to secondary school students
but needs to find sufficient resources to support the
project. CADEC food supplies are threatened because they
come from Makonde Industries in Harare, which is importing
inputs for the fortified porridge. CADEC plans to continue
feeding through May. When asked how they ensure that the
children are eating the porridge at school and not taking it
all home (as we saw in a Sinakoma village in Binga), and the
CADEC representatives replied that they have not monitored
consumption since their monitors were dismissed by the GOZ
from school feeding areas because the government thought them
to be political pawns. The CADEC representatives indicated
that they would try to have teachers act as monitors.
¶23. (U) A major concern for both NGOs is the fuel shortage
and the lack of spare parts. Both SCF and CADEC obtain fuel
through CALTEX but may look into getting it from South
Africa. According to the NGOs, CARE is already importing
fuel directly from South Africa, although CARE has not
confirmed this. The issue of spare parts may become an issue
too. SCF already has had to cancel a distribution because
three of the organization’s trucks broke down.
¶24. (U) During our visit to Binga, we met with local Chief
Sinansengwe and several of his headmen, where we learned
local government leaders, Minister for Special Affairs John
Nkomo, and Governor Obert Mpofu of Matabeleland North had met
on December 5 to discuss the issue of relief aid in the
district. (NOTE: We suspected a high-level meeting was
happening in Binga after we saw Minister Nkomo leaving our
hotel in Hwange early in the morning on December 5. END
NOTE.) The Chief told us corruption and inadequate aid
distribution operations by local ZANU-PF officials and
structures (food being diverted for personal gain, food
smuggled to Zambia, erratic GMB deliveries) were largely to
blame for the food problems in Binga. As a result of the
meeting with Nkomo and Mpofu, all government assistance would
henceforth be distributed directly to the Chiefs for final
distribution within their respective areas–taking this
function out of the hands of the established local
ZANU-PF-dominated task force structure.
———————-
AIDS CASES ON THE RISE
———————-
¶25. (U) On December 4, Ambassador, USAID Officer, State Desk
Officer, and Political Officer visited St. Luke’s Mission
Hospital in Kenaur in Lupane district to discuss health
issues in general and HIV/AIDS in particular. The hospital
staff comprised one German doctor, one young Zimbabwean
doctor and several nuns who serve Lupane district in
Matabeleland North and Gokwe district in Midlands. The
health care providers we met seemed overwhelmed and exhausted
by the health problems besieging the community. The German
physician working at the hospital lamented the absence of
HIV/AIDS test kits even though many of his patients wanted to
be tested. He also said the clinic would begin a
mother-to-child-transmission prevention program in January.
When asked if the clinic had voluntary counseling and testing
(VCT), the German doctor said VCT was good in theory but too
complicated for rural areas because of a lack of counselors
and lab technicians. Ethics aside, he said he would prefer
to administer antiretroviral drugs to pregnant women without
testing or counseling if it would save children from being
born HIV-positive.
¶26. (U) The physician told us that 80 to 90 percent of his
patients were HIV-positive and that there has been an
increase in AIDS cases because of malnutrition. He also said
that 80 percent of the pediatric ward was malnourished but
that the clinic does not have enough high energy/protein
foods to save all of the children.
¶27. (U) Although the St. Luke,s visit focused specifically
on HIV/AIDS, the disease came up in our other meetings as
well. Bishop Sitshebo told us the Anglican Church is working
with Deseret International to promote behavior change. He
commented that stigma was still a big problem. Joel Gabuzza,
the MP for Binga, said that the HIV/AIDS situation is grave
and pointed out that tuberculosis (TB) cases have increased
so much that entire hospital wings are devoted to the
disease, whereas a few years ago only one or two beds would
house TB cases. Save the Children has several HIV/AIDS
programs concentrating on community support groups,
youth/peer groups, and the elderly in Binga.
——-
COMMENT
——-
¶28. (C) The information we gleaned from Matabeleland North
reinforced what we had read and heard about in the press.
Unlike the rest of the country, land redistribution did not
seem to be the concern for most of our interlocutors, most
likely because the lands are poor. The high HIV/AIDS levels
and severe food shortages were the most pressing concerns.
¶29. (C) The food security situation has deteriorated among
the entire population because of decreasing purchasing power
and unavailability of food. The recent resumption of food
aid distributions in Binga by SCF, which has its own food
pipeline apart from WFP, should result in gradual improvement
in the district. Elsewhere in Matabeleland South and North,
if the food pipeline is not bolstered soon, many residents
could starve to death. During our visit, implementing
partners had to reduce rations because of a lack of food
availability. To compound matters, HIV/AIDS lurks in the
background and as food for sex becomes more commonplace, safe
sexual practices will be a distant second if the choice is
food now or death later. The GOZ decision to permit
continued and increased milling of maize within Zimbabwe will
help, but the existing food pipeline is not full and running
late due to earlier GOZ constraints.
¶30. (C) Whether the food situation in Bulawayo will improve
is unclear. The city of Bulawayo is better off than the
rural areas, but the ZANU-PF led government has effectively
shut out Mayor Ncube from food and drought relief discussions
held by the Drought Task Force in spite of Ncube,s pleas to
the governor to include himself and the city council in the
process. Furthermore, NGOs traditionally have been reluctant
to include urban areas among their beneficiary areas or in
their assessments.
WHITEHEAD
(24 VIEWS)
