Drought-hit Z’babwe declares state of disaster

Thin like their owners, cattle wander in a parched riverbed. Desperate villagers barter a few fish for maize because there is no money for food. In this drought-stricken area of Zimbabwe, some people allege that who you know determines whether you’ll get state food aid, with those out of favour with local officials going hungry.

Underscoring the severity of the drought linked to the El Nino weather pattern that is hitting much of southern Africa, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe declared a state of disaster, with the hope that Thursday’s announcement will speed up the flow of aid to needy communities.

The drought has devastated crops and sharply reduced rainfall. The situation is especially acute in Zimbabwe, where a declining economy and rising unemployment have made life hard for many people in a country once known as a regional breadbasket.

The number of Zimbabweans in need of urgent food aid has spiked to about one quarter of the population of 13 million people, according to the UN World Food Program. 

That number could go even higher and the food crisis could spill into next year, said Prisca Mupfumira, Zimbabwe’s minister for public service, labour and social welfare.

Families are going up to two weeks without a solid meal in Madan’ombe, a village in Masvingo province in southern Zimbabwe.